The Sacred Twenty Eight
by adoeinthemeadowes
Summary: Andromeda Black was the biggest bloodtraitor in history. She had wanted to be a good Slytherin and make her family proud, but love got in the way. Set in her sixth year, Andromeda faces the difficulty of falling in love with a muggleborn. CANON Andromeda/Ted. Bellatrix Black
1. Chapter 1

1- The Three Black Sisters

" Andromeda, hurry up! Bellatrix and Narcissa are already down here! " Druella Black shouted through one of the expansive hallways of Black Manor on the morning of September first.

Andromeda Black was running late. She was hurrying around her bedroom, bewitching all of her robes and schoolbooks into her trunk at a ridiculous speed. She knew she should have packed the night before, but she had stayed up late convincing Narcissa that starting Hogwarts would definitely be a good thing. Now she could almost hear her mother's irritation.

Druella Black did not like her children to keep her waiting. In fact, Druella didn't like anyone to keep her waiting. She was one of the harshest women that Andromeda knew.

As her last Slytherin robe fluttered into the trunk, Andromeda waved her wand and followed her now levitating trunk out the door and down the stairs.

" Honestly Andromeda" her mother said irritably when she came down the stairs in her jumper, " You're going to make your sisters late"

" Sorry Mum" Andromeda said sheepishly, her trunk placing itself next to the other two in the sitting.

The other two Black sisters, Bellatrix and Narcissa were standing next to their mother, having been waiting for Andromeda to come downstairs.

Andromeda hoped her mother wasn't too upset with her. Out of all three of her daughters. Druella was always the most critical and harsh with Andromeda. Perhaps it was because she was the middle child, or perhaps it was something else. Andromeda never knew, but she learned early that it was best to never get on her mother's bad side.

Bellatrix looked at Andromeda wistfully, " Leave her alone, Mum. She's here now"

Andromeda smiled at Bellatrix, " Thank you, Bella" she told her.

Meanwhile Narcissa was bouncing slightly. She was obviously nervous. She would be starting Hogwarts today.

" Will you stop bouncing, Cissy?" Bellatrix said turning to her quickly, " It's Hogwarts, you'll be fine"

Narcissa bit her lip nervously.

Andromeda couldn't help but notice the differences between Bellatrix and Narcissa's appearances when they stood together like that.

They were both beautiful. All of the Black girls were. But Bellatrix was a dark beauty. With a massive amount of black curly hair and very sharp features. She always looked up at people from beneath her heavily lidded eyes, and her look could be describes as nothing short of a vicious pretty.

Andromeda and Bellatrix looked quite similar.

If it wasn't for Andromeda's straight hair and tanned skin, she and Bellatrix could be twins. Even despite the year age difference. Sometimes it was hard to tell Bellatrix was a year older.

Narcissa however, was the opposite. She had a head full of white blonde hair and a rosy complexion.

She was the essence of white, looking like the complete opposite of Bellatrix.

All three of the Black girls were exceptionally beautiful. Something that had pleased their parents immensely. Now there was no need for Cygnus and Druella to worry. Of course with beauty and breeding like their daughters had, there would be no reason that they wouldn't marry respectable pureblood wizards.

" Alright" Druella Black said extending out both her arms, " Come on, no need to be any later than we already are"

Andromeda clutched onto her mother's right arm, as Bellatrix and Narcissa clutched the other one.

Andromeda couldn't wait until she was old enough to apparate. She only had to wait a year, and then she wouldn't have to depend on her mother to make sure she got to Kings Cross on time every year.

She felt the familiar tug behind her navel as the four women apparated to Platform 9 ¾.

When they landed next to the scarlet train, luggage in tow, Andromeda straightened her sweater and smiled.

She loved the Platform on the September first. The beginning of the year was her favorite time. She couldn't believe she would finally be starting her sixth year at Hogwarts.

" So you three will behave won't this year won't you?" Druella asked her three daughters, eyeing them all with a look of sincerity that they had seen quite often from her.

The three girls nodded. Andromeda wasn't worried. She had never done anything wrong at Hogwarts. She was a prefect and her marks were always perfect. She had entered her sixth year having received outstandings in every subject.

" I'm talking to you, Bellatrix" Druella said eyeing her curly haired daughter carefully.

Bellatrix sighed, " Yes, mother"

" And Narcissa, don't worry" Druella said eyeing her youngest daughter, " You'll be sorted into Slytherin, all Blacks are"

" Not Sirius" Bellatrix pointed out with a cold smile.

Druella sighed and another woman joined them. It was the girl's aunt and Sirius' mother, Walburga.

" Do not remind me, Bella" Aunt Walburga said kissing Druella on the cheek in greeting.

" Hello Andromeda" Aunt Walburga said to her, " you're looking radiant"

Andromeda smiled. She loved her aunt Walburga.

" Thank you, Auntie" she said happily, giving her a hug.

" You're a good girl. Narcissa" Aunt Walburga told the youngest Black daughter, " I have my every confidence that you'll join your sisters in Slytherin"

Narcissa smiled happily. Andromeda was sure that her aunt's words had helped to calm her sister.

" Regulus is over there, Cissy dear. Why don't you join him?" Aunt Walburga said, " you two can chat about Slytherin on the train"

Narcissa nodded and joined their cousin Regulus, who was also an incoming first year.

Bellatrix had already disappeared into the crowd, no doubt joining her friends. She was in her final year at Hogwarts, and even still Bellatrix refused to give into the traditional things like saying goodbye to their mother.

Andromeda scanned the crowd looking for her own friends. She spotted her two closest friends Alicia Nott and and Emma Vanity.

" Mom, I see Alicia and Emma" Andromeda told her.

Druella nodded, " Go ahead, have a good term" she said kissing her eldest daughter's cheek. Andromeda waved goodbye and ran over to the girls.

" Andy!" Alicia called happily as she pulled her into a hug. Emma smiled brightly.

Both Alicia and Emma had been Andromeda's best friends since first year. She had known Alicia since they were little. Their mother's had always encouraged their friendship. And she had met Emma in the dormitory six years ago. Both girls came from Pureblood Slytherin families, just like she did.

" How have you been? How was your summer?" Andromeda asked them both.

Alicia smiled, " I spent almost the entire summer with Evan"

Emma grinned, " You two are adorable"

Alicia had been going out with Evan Rosier, a fellow Slytherin, for several years and they were very close.

Most of the people who knew them. knew that one day the two would end up married, something that both of their parents would be exceptionally pleased with.

Andromeda smiled. She was happy that Alicia and Evan were able to sort everything out. They had been fighting quite a bit the year before.

" What about you, Emma?" she asked her other friend.

Emma frowned, " I spent the entire summer watching Linus, my mom thought it would be good practice for when I had my own kid" she said rolling her eyes.

Emma's mother was obsessed with the idea of Emma becoming a good pureblood wife and having as many children as possible, so she often had her watch her younger brother Linus for practice.

" Come on," Alicia said looking at the dwindling crowd on the platform, " let's go find a compartment before all the good one's are gone"

Andromeda followed her and Emma onto the train, scanning all the platforms looking for empty ones.

" No, not that one" Alicia said to Emma, " It's full of Gryffindors"

" Ugh," Emma said wrinkling her nose at the group of scarlet clad sixth years.

They passed several more compartments. Andromeda saw lot's of people in her own year, but Alicia and Emma didn't want to sit with anyone except Slytherins.

They stopped when they got to a compartment that had only had five other people in it. Andromeda smiled at the people that were in it. They were her fellow Slytherin sixth years.

Evan Rosier, Rabastan Lestrange, Tobias Bulstrode, Thomas Avery, and Erasmus McNair.

Alicia trotted into the compartment and sat down next to Evan immediately.

Emma sat down next to her and Andromeda followed her.

" Hello Andromeda" Rabastan said smiling at her.

Andromeda grinned. Rabastan was extremely handsome. She had known him his whole life and it was common knowledge that their parent's hoped they would get together.

Andromeda could think of nothing better. When Rabastan smiled at her, she felt her heart beat faster.

" How did you guys get such a good compartment?" she asked them, gesturing to the compartment which was easily the largest one on the train.

Erasmus smiled and nudged Rabastan.

" We got it from a group of Mudbloods" Rabastan said, " they even tried to fight us for it. It was too easy"

Everyone in the common room laughed, but Andromeda felt a knot in her stomach.

She was a pureblood, and she had spent her entire life around people who believed that 'muggleborns' or Mudbloods as they were more often referred to in this company, should be eradicated.

Andromeda didn't know how she felt about this. She knew that her family believed this wholeheartedly, and she didn't like to disagree with them, but she couldn't see what was so wrong with muggleborns.

But she never voiced this opinion. Andromeda and most of the people she spent her time with were all apart of the sacred twenty eight. The only true pureblood families left in the wizarding world.

Everyone she spent her time with thought muggleborns were scum, and that the only good kind of wizard was a Pureblood.

So Andromeda had just learned to adopt these ideals. It was easier than trying to question them. Besides, she was a Black. She and her sisters were regarded as being the most influential Pureblood family at Hogwarts, and that came with certain obligations to the family. Obligations that Andromeda knew were her responsibility to follow.

" So Andromeda," Rabastan said, " I saw your little sister on the train earlier, is she being sorted today?"

Andromeda nodded happily, " Yeah, I'm so excited for her"

Rabastan smiled at her and she felt like her stomach flip excitedly.

" I hope she's in Slytherin" he said.

" As if she'd be in any other house" Emma said with a wide smile.

Andromeda was comforted by the fact that all of her friends agreed that there was no other house her sister would be in.

Every Black for the last three centuries had been a Slytherin. There was simply no other option for a member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black.

Slytherin was, in Andromeda's opinion, the best house at Hogwarts.

The Hufflepuff's were useless, known for doing nothing. The Ravenclaw's were too smart for their own good, their pretentious nature kept them from going far. And the Gryffindors, well though they all claimed to be the bravest at Hogwarts, had a nasty habit of just being flashy.

Slytherins knew how to get far. They could take any situation and have it benefit them. Something that Andromeda thought, more people should learn how to do.

She couldn't imagine what would happen if Narcissa was sorted into any other house. All she could think about was how Sirius was treated. His whole family despised him for betraying the Black tradition of Slytherin house.

As much as Andromeda loved Slytherin, she couldn't help but think it wasn't Sirius' fault he was in Gryffindor. Either way, she hoped Narcissa wouldn't have to worry about it.

"... so then when we asked the wizard what it was he said it was a Dark Mark" Thomas said excitedly.

" What's a Dark Mark?" Emma asked curiously.

Erasmus and Rabastan snickered slightly, " Vanity, thats You-Know-Who's mark"

"Oh" Emma said quietly.

Andromeda looked up, " You-Know Who?"

Erasmus eyed her curiously, " Surely you know who he is?"

She nodded, " I know who he is, my parent's talk about him a lot"

" Well he's got the right idea" Tobias added, " he thinks that all Mudbloods should be rounded up and killed"

Evan snickered at his comment.

Andromeda felt conflicted. Her entire family talked of You-Know-Who often. They believed as Tobias did, that he had the right idea and so Andromeda tried to force herself to agree with this, despite her aversion to killing.

" Well anyway" Thomas continued, " this bloke with the Dark Mark, he's a death eater, and he told us that soon You-Know-Who would be looking for more supporters, and they would need to be young"

" Like us?" Alicia asked.

Thomas nodded excitedly, " I mean why not, most of us are of age this year"

Alicia nodded realizing that what he was saying was true.

" I'm joining up as soon as I can" Evan said boldly, " my parent's probably will too"

" So would I" Alicia said. She always agreed with Evan.

" What about you, Andromeda?" Rabastan asked, he was eyeing her strangely.

" Would I join?" she asked him.

Rabastan nodded. He was leaning against the wall of the compartment. He had rolled his sleeves so that his tanned arms were visible.

" I don't know" Andromeda said biting her lip, " I'd have to think about it"

" Come on, Lestrange" Alicia said crossing her legs, " Andromeda overthinks everything!"

" I do not" Andromeda said to her, despite the fact that she knew there was some truth to Alicia's words. She often overthought things.

Andromeda always felt like she was slightly out of step with her friends and her family, as if what she was thinking and what she felt differed from them. So she was always careful to think about everything before she did or said something. It was security for her.

" Well, I think it's a good thing" Rabastan said, " better she do that than say everything that comes to mind like you, Nott"

Alicia drew her wand, ' Say that now, Lestrange"

Rabastan only laughed, knowing she was bluffing.

He caught Andromeda's eye and winked. Andromeda began to blush slightly, letting her glance drift off to the opposite direction.

" Well, I'd like to meet this You-Know-Who, before I make my decision" Emma said boldly.

Everyone snickered.

" What?" Emma demanded.

" Come on Vanity" Erasmus said shaking his head, " he's one of the most powerful wizards of all time, he isn't going to just meet with you"

Emma shrugged, " Then I guess I won't join then"

" You're one stubborn bird, Vanity" Thomas said in disbelief.

Emma smiled proudly, " Yes I am"

They rest of the group launched into a discussion about Avery's father's new job and Andromeda let her eyes wander out the window.

She watched the passing miles of farmland and suburbs and found herself thinking about the muggles that lived there, and how they didn't know that at that exact moment, a train full of wizards was passing them by.

The train continued on, and before she knew it, it was time for the Prefect's meeting.

Andromeda and Evan were the sixth year Slytherin Prefects, so they both got up from the compartment and headed to the Perfect's carriage at the front of the train.

It was a tight squeeze with so many people in one compartment. Each of the houses were represented with fifth, sixth, and seventh year prefects as well as with the Head Boy and Girl.

This year the Head Boy was a Gryffindor named Maxim Wood, a Half-Blood. The Head Girl was a Ravenclaw named Faren Malby, and she was Muggle-born.

Andromeda saw the look of distaste on Evan's face as he eyed their new Head Girl and when they sat down with the other Slytherin Prefects, she wasn't surprised when he leaned over and whispered, " Great, now we're taking orders from a Mudblood?"

Andromeda tried to nod in agreement with Evan, but she was conflicted.

Her parent's had always told her that being Pureblood meant she was better than other blood status. That she and the other Purebloods were better and more qualified to do magic, but being at Hogwarts had always made her wonder if this was true. There were Slytherin Purebloods in seventh year who this Faren had beat out for the spot as Head Girl. Didn't this mean she was more qualified? Her parents would tell her no. They were convinced that the Hogwarts Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, was a no good Mudblood Lover who was determined to take down all of the Purebloods.

If Bellatrix had been made a prefect, she was sure she would be livid with the choice in Head Girl, so Andromeda assumed she should be too.

But looking at Faren now, Andromeda didn't know what to think, so she agreed with Evan, making the decision that a Black would.

" So this year we have decided to create you're patrolling schedules for you" Wood said handing all of the Prefects pieces of parchment.

" We've found it work's easier this way" Faren added.

They had already given the introductory speech. Andromeda had been too busy thinking to hear it, so she snapped her attention back to the Head's.

Wood handed her one of the pieces of parchment and she unfolded it with a sigh.

Out of the five nights a week she patrolled, she only had one shift with a Slytherin, and it was with Evan. The rest of them were with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.

If there were two houses that Andromeda disliked the most, it was Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. At least the Ravenclaws she could stand for long periods of time, but the other two houses were so full of showy, boastful people she couldn't take it.

Both Wood and Malby spent the next hour talking about the new patrolling procedures and how it was still necessary for Prefect's to dock points if anyone was out of bed after hours or breaking any rules.

It was the same speech every year, but this time, she did notice that Wood kept throwing nervous glances over at the Slytherins on the opposite side of the compartment. No doubt in disdain.

Wood was a Gryffindor, so by nature he despised the Slytherin House, but he was also on the Quidditch team and because of Slytherin's legendary victory over Gryffindor the year before, he was still holding a grudge.

Something Andromeda thought made him a sore loser.

When the meeting ended, both Andromeda and Evan walked back to their compartment and found it had grown in attendance.

Bellatrix was now sitting in there with her friend Elizabeth Merlin and her long term boyfriend, Rabastan's brother, Rodolphus Lestrange.

Andromeda opened the door and took her seat next to Alicia.

" How was the meeting?" Bellatrix asked from her position in Rodolphus' lap.

Andromeda shrugged, but Evan got very excited.

" You know the Head Girl this year is a mudblood?" He told Bellatrix quickly, his voice echoing his obvious disgust.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, " A Mudblood? God this place is going to the dogs isnt it?"

Rodolphus snickered and went back to playing with her hair.

" And the ruddy schedules" Evam said continuing his complaining about the meeting, " I swearr I got all Gryffindors"

" Don't complain," Andromeda told him. " I got Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs".

Her face scrunched as she said the latter. Andromeda wasn't very fond of Hufflepuffs.

" They're so useless" Bellatrix complained, " and I swear there's not a Pureblood among them"

As the conversation drifted again towards the Pureblood families among Hogwarts, Andromeda let her mind wander. It's not that she wasn't interested, but the conversations always seemed the same and frankly it could be a little boring to her. Just once, she wished that they would discuss something else.

A few hours in Andromeda heard the dessert trolley roll by.

" I'll get everyone something" Rabastan said getting to his feet. The rest of the group barely looked up. The were all too immersed in what they were doing to acknowledge his words.

" Do you want help?" Andromeda asked him, desperate to get out and stretch her legs a little.

Rabastan nodded and they walked out of the compartment and to the trolley. There was a collection of student's gathered around it, all buying their snacks.

A group of Ravenclaws were gathered in front of them. They were discussing something in hushed voices.

Rabastan rolled his eyes and she found herself wondering what it was they were talking about.

They group cleared and Rabastan bought several snacks from the trolley, handing the witch several galleons.

Rabastan handed Andromeda some of things he had purchased and together they carried it back to the compartment.

" How'd you know what everyone wanted?" Andromeda asked him.

Rabastan shrugged, " Well this is what they're getting since no one answered me"

Andromeda let out a small laugh as he slid open the door to the compartment.

In their absence, Alicia had taken to french braiding Emma's hair and the boys were engaged in a very angry conversation about this year's quidditch team.

Andromeda's ears perked up at this. She was on the Slytherin Quidditch team as a chaser, and she loved every second she was on the field.

" Andromeda?" Evan asked, " have you heard about who the new chaser is on Gryffindor since Bagman graduated?"

She shook her head. She hadn't even realized that they had a new opening on the team.

" Well let's hope they're a rubbish player" Rabastan added. He was on the team too, as a beater.

The Slytherins had so far won the House Cup for the past two years, and Professor Slughorn, their head of house, had made it very clear that he liked having the cup remain in his office.

Andromeda sat quietly for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts. She was very tired and couldn't wait for the feast and to go to sleep in the dormitory. She really should have gotten more sleep last night. She was already exhausted.

When Hogwarts came into view, they all changed into their robes. Andromeda admired the small Slytherin emblem on hers, thinking that she was lucky that green happened to look good on her. She couldn't imagine how any of the Hufflepuffs enjoyed wearing that gaudy yellow.

The train pulled into the station and everyone poured out of it in search of the carriages.

Andromeda watched the first years crowd into the boats. She potted Narcissa's white blonde hair instantly. She was sitting in a boat with Regulus and two boys Andromeda didn't recognize.

Andromeda climbed into the carriage with Emma and Alicia and let herself feel excitement for the feast. There was nothing she loved more than the first night at Hogwarts.

The carriages pulled the students through Hogsmeade and up to the castle, where everyone crowded to get into the Great Hall.

It was strange for her to think that this was her sixth welcome feast at Hogwarts. It felt like yesterday that she had been sorted.

Alicia, Emma and Andromeda walked over to the Slytherin table at the far left corner of the room and were joined soon by the boys.

The entire hall was soon filled with chattering students, all anxious for the sorting to begin so that they could dive into the marvelous feast.

Once all of the older students were sitting down at their respective houses. Professor McGonagall came into the room, with a line of first years behind her.

Narcissa stood in line nervously, staring directly in front of her.

Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on the stool in front of her and it opened it's wide brim and began to sing

" _Welcome students to another happy year,_

 _please lend this old hat your curious ear,_

 _When Hogwarts was first founded hundreds of years before,_

 _Four founders decided to teach the magical lore,_

 _No one more humble and honest than Helga Hufflepuff,_

 _Or Godric Gryffindor who loved the brave and tough,_

 _And I dare you to find someone smarter than Rowena Ravenclaw,_

 _Or perhaps Salazar Slytherin who was as cunning as the law,_

 _These four founders then all created me,_

 _To serve the school and sort all of thee,_

 _Four houses, all made different and unique,_

 _I sort all, the brave, the cunning, the smart and the weak,_

 _So students young and old,_

 _Place me on you're head and go where you are told._

 _For I am the only hat you'll find with a face,_

 _and who can tell you where's your place"_

The hat closed it's mouth and Professor McGonagall opened a large scroll of parchment, reading the first name.

" Anderson, Mark"

A small brown haired boy approached the stool and sat down. He was instantly sorted into Ravenclaw.

" Benzel, Amaryllis"

A small dark haired girl was sorted into Hufflepuff.

" Black, Narcissa"

Andromeda watched as Narcissa approached the stool and sat down. From the Slytherin table, Bellatrix and Andromeda caught each other's eyes for a moment before turning back to Narcissa.

The sorting hat fell on her head and rested there for only a moment before the hate opened it's mouth and shouted " Slytherin"

The entire Slytherin table clapped as Narcissa joined it at the front. Both Andromeda and Bellatrix were standing up and cheering. Andromeda felt an upsurge of pride as her sister was now a member of her house.

" Black, Regulus"

This was the other sorting Andromeda was nervous about. Regulus was a Black, so the general thought was that he would be a Slytherin. But Andromeda worried that Regulus would follow after Sirius and be sorted into a different house.

The other houses weren't awful but Andromeda had seen what Sirius' change had done to him and how his family now viewed him, and Andromeda wanted more for Regulus.

The sorting hat dropped onto Regulus' head, and before it even touched his hair fully, it opened it's mouth and shouted " SLYTHERIN".

Andromeda let out the breath she had been holding in, as Regulus joined Narcissa at their table.

Aunt Walburga was going to be so thrilled. Now she had at least one of her son's in her former house.

Andromeda sat happily through the rest of the sorting and was excited when the final student sat down at their table and the food appeared on the tables.

The Hogwarts feast was what she had dreamed about all summer. Even the large feasts provided by the Black's house elf Libby could not compare to the delicious assortment of food that had appeared in front of her.

" I love Hogwarts food" Alicia said biting into a piece of pheasant that was on the plate in front of her.

" You have no idea how much I've missed it" Andromeda said, agreeing with her.

" You know," Emma said casting a glance down the hall at the Gryffindor table, " It's a shame your cousin Sirius is such a blood traitor, because he is quite attractive"

Andromeda let her glance follow Emma's to the Gryffindor table, where her cousin Sirius was engaged in a very animated conversation with his friends.

She noticed he was talking quite happily with James Potter, who had been his friend for the last four years at Hogwarts.

Andromeda turned back to Emma and shrugged. She really didn't mind Sirius, in fact she found him to be quite was by far his favorite cousin, something he told her often.

But she rarely mentioned this.

The girls continued to eat until the tables cleared themselves and everyone looked up to see Professor Dumbledore at the podium in the front of the hall.

" Welcome Students, to another wonderful year at Hogwarts!" he said proudly, gesturing to all of the student's in the hall.

Andromeda liked Dumbledore a lot, despite what her family thought. His appointment to Headmaster at Hogwarts was one that some people in Slytherin were wary about, but she believed he was the perfect person for the job.

" I know you are all quite tired and ready to get a good night's sleep for your first night of classes, but before you do, I would just like to let you all know that we have quite a lot planned for you this year and look forward to another year of magic ahead of us"

Everyone in the hall clapped happily.

Dumbledore smiled broadly at the collection of student's before him, " So off to bed you go! I'll see you tomorrow for your lessons"

Everyone got up from their house tables quickly, ready to go back to their dormitories.

Andromeda, Alicia, and Emma walked out of the Great Hall and towards the common room.

Andromeda could do this walk with her eyes closed. As they approached the dungeons, the air got slightly colder. It was familiar to her.

As they approached the stone wall, the group of seventh years in front of them said the password loudly.

It was Pureblood. Andromeda shook her head, it was always something like that. In all of her time at Hogwarts she had only known the Slytherin Common Room to have about ten passwords that it regularly changed.

The stone wall moved and allowed all of the student's access to their common room.

It has been three months since Andromeda was here and it welcomed her like an old friend.

The Slytherin common room was a dimly lit chamber underneath the black lake. It's location caused it to be chilly all of the time, but she felt it was comforting. All of her memories were twinged with green from the light that seemed to give the whole room a permanently emerald glow.

The three girls walked down the girl's hall to the sixth room and entered their new dormitory. They were always the same. They Slytherin dormitories were large spacious rooms with five four poster beds and a fireplace in the middle.

" Have the beds gotten bigger?" Alicia asked jumping onto her bed.

" I doubt it" Andromeda said picking the bed she always did. It was the one on the farthest wall.

Emma sat down on her bed too, looking happy to be back in the dormitory.

" So, Andy" Alicia said turning to her friend happily, " I couldn't help but notice that Rabastan has taken quite a liking to you, huh?"

Andromeda blushed deeply. She had thought she had noticed this too, but hadn't wanted to comment on it in case she had been wrong. Nothing would make her happier then ending up with Rabastan.

She allowed herself to smile slightly, " I hope so"

Alicia grinned, " I would too if it were me,"

From her bed, Emma giggled and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, " Andromeda loves Rabastan"

Andromeda rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at her.

The door to the dormitory opened and all three girl's heads shot up, as their fellow Slytherin dorm mates entered the room.

Lucia Relvers and Eudora Marx walked into the room quietly and sat down on the two beds closest to the door.

Alicia rolled her eyes as they did, and exchanged a quick look with Emma.

Lucia and Eudora had been their dorm mates since first year, but neither Emma nor Alicia liked them.

They were both half-bloods and the other girls were always raised to believe that this meant they were not as worthy to be in Slytherin as they were.

" I'm going to bed" Alicia said quickly, and Andromeda watched as her blonde head disappeared behind the bed curtains she pulled closed.

Emma had done the same, so Andromeda followed their lead. She thought she saw Lucia throw her a furtive glance before she closed the bed curtains.

Andromeda had trouble falling asleep that night. She kept having the same nightmare. Her mother and father were staring down at her and telling her that she had failed all of her N.E.W.T.s. She tried to remind herself that this wasn't going to happen, but there was no use. It terrified her just the same.

Disappointing her parents in any way was Andromeda's biggest fear. So far she never had, but she didn't know that soon, she would be the biggest disappointment in Black History.


	2. Chapter 2

2- Blame The Slug

Andromeda woke up the next day feeling as though she was in an unfamiliar place. It took her a minute to remember that she was not in her bed at Black Manor, but in her bed at Hogwarts.

She rose and stretched. Alicia was starting to wake up in her bed next to her, and Emma was already up.

" Ready for our first day of sixth year classes?" Emma asked in false excitement.

Andromeda stretched and laughed, " Probably more so than you"

Emma nodded in agreement, " You've got that right"

She took a pillow of her bed and tossed it at Alicia, who had rolled back over in her bed.

" Nott," Emma said coming over to the edge of her bed, " Get up. ot or you're going to miss breakfast.

Alicia rolled over with a permanent scowl on her face, climbing out of her bed just mumbling quietly.

Both Andromeda and Emma laughed at her irritation. Alicia was not a morning person.

" We better not have any boring classes today" Emma said as the three girls dressed in their uniforms and robes.

" 10 Galleons we have potions" Alicia said running a brush through her hair.

Andromeda sighed, " Slughorn loves it, so you know we will"

Andromeda did like Potions but it was a rather difficult subject and required intense concentration. Concentration that she and her friends were lacking on the first day back.

All three girls left the dormitory and walked through the common room, with their stomach growling slightly.

" There better be waffles, or I'm jinxing someone" Emma said as they headed towards the Great Hall.

" In that case," Andromeda said smiling and walking to the other side of Alicia, " I'm standing by Licia"

All three of the girls laughed as they entered the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table.

To Emma's amusement, there were a plate of waffles adorning the breakfast that morning. Andromeda scooped herself some fruit off of one of the plates and onto her own.

As she ate, she noticed the Bloody Baron was hovering just beside them, looking characteristically solemn.

" Everything alright, Baron?" she asked.

The Bloody Baron floated down so that he was next to Andromeda.

" Peeves is wreaking havoc on the castle again?" he said, the irritation in his voice evident.

" Doesn't he fear you?" Andromeda asked.

The Bloody Baron nodded, " Yes, but I do not wish to spend all of my days chasing after the poltergeist"

" Well, I mean it's not like your days are numbered," Alicia reminded him, " you're dead" The Baron gave her a dirty look, " Once again Ms. Nott, you amaze me with your insincerity"

He threw one more disgruntled look at her and floated down to the end of the table where the first years sat.

" Why'd you have to go and do that?" Emma demanded, " now he'll probably float through us in our sleep or something"

Alicia rolled her eyes, " I'm not afraid of the Bloody Baron, and he is dead"

" You didn't have to remind him though" Andromeda told her.

She couldn't imagine what the Baron had to go through. Being dead and coming back seemed like it was worse then crossing over. She couldn't imagine why anyone would choose that.

Alicia shrugged. She never seemed to care how her actions affected others. Andromeda always wondered whether it was because she was oblivious to it or because she honestly didn't care.

She figured it was probably a side effect of growing up in privilege.

Andromeda looked up to see Bellatrix and Elizabeth walk into the Great Hall.

Elizabeth was Bellatrix's best friend, and Andromeda didn't care for her much.

She was one of the Slytherins that gave them all a bad name. She was pompous and entitled and thought that because she was a descendant of Merlin, she was a better witch than any of her she had it her way, Andromeda wouldn't spend any time with her, but she was Bellatrix's best friend and so she was forced to endure her presence.

" So, little sister" Bellatrix said sitting down next to Andromeda at the house table, " have you seen how delightfully Cissy has taken to being a Slytherin?"

Andromeda let her gaze fall down to the end of the table where her younger sister was chatting animatedly with the other first years. They were all hanging onto her every word.

Andromeda laughed as she watched her. She had been worried for nothing. The Slytherin emerald shone from Narcissa's robes looking like it had never been more comfortable on anyone.

" She fits right in" Andromeda told Bellatrix.

Bellatrix smiled and flipped her hair behind her shoulder, " Well us Black's certainly can charm people"

" Oh yes you can" Rodolphus said with a wink.

Bellatrix grinned back at him and Andromeda had to resist the urge to choke on her pumpkin juice.

She knew Bellatrix and Rodolphus were together and had been for a while, but Andromeda couldn't handle it when they acted like that in public.

" Save it for the broom closets, you guys" Elizabeth added with a smug smile.

" You'd know all about broom closets, wouldn't you Merlin" Alicia said bravely under her breath.

" What was that, Nott?" Elizabeth demanded. She had narrowed her eyes at her in annoyance.

" Nothing at all" Alicia said shooting her back a cold stare.

Andromeda looked back at them both. Neither Elizabeth or Alicia liked each other. Elizabeth had gone out with Evan before Alicia, and it seemed neither of them had forgotten it.

There stare off was interrupted as Slughorn walked over to the table brandishing the timetables.

" Happy First Day Back my Hungry Pupils!" He said as he handed them out.

" Hello Professor" Andromeda said happily. As hard as Potions could sometimes be, Andromeda loved her Head of House. He was a little eccentric and had a habit of 'collecting' students whom he admired, but he was a caring and intelligent teacher.

" Good Morning, Ms. Black" He said smiling happily at her, " Excited to be back? You know we'll be having another Slug Club meeting soon and I'd love it if you'd be able to come"

Andromeda nodded, " I'd love to, Sir"

Slughorn beamed down at her as he handed her the timetable, " Well good, look for my invitation"

He handed the final timetable to Bellatrix and smiled at her, " And of course you'd be invited to Ms. Black, and as I hear it I now have your younger sister and your cousin"

Both Bellatrix and Andromeda nodded. It then occurred to Andromeda that there were five Blacks at Hogwarts, and four of them were in Slytherin. It was easy to forget how many of them there were.

" Well looks like I've got you all!" Slughorn said clapping his hands, " or almost all of you"

All three of their glances flew to the Gryffindor table at the end of the hall where Sirius, now a third year was sitting amongst a gaggle of scarlet clad students.

" Such a shame" Slughorn said quietly shaking his head, before disappearing to the Staff table.

" What. A. Loon" Bellatrix said rolling her eyes.

" Bella, he's our head of house" Andromeda said giving her a look that she had seen her mother use often.

Bellatrix laughed, " I forgot I was talking to Andromeda the Goody Two Shoes"

Andromeda frowned, " I am not"

Bellatrix laughed loudly, joined by Alicia and Emma.

It was common knowledge that Andromeda was the most careful of all the Slytherins. She was a prefect and she got good grades. She'd only had one detention and she almost never lost points. Andromeda frowned at her sister and her friends. They always treated it like it was a bad thing.

Feeling slightly attacked, she opened her timetable. As she had thought, they did have Potions today, right after lunch. She had Transfiguration first and then Care of Magical Creatures, and then after lunch she had Potions.

Andromeda sighed. She really had taken a lot of classes this year, but she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do yet, and figured the more classes she took, the more options she had.

But the large amount of work, meant endless hours in the library. A place that not all Slytherins knew well.

After she finished breakfast, Alicia and Andromeda made their way to the Transfiguration room.

Andromeda was paranoid about being late to this class. Professor McGonagall was a fair teacher, but being Head of Gryffindor house did cause her to feel a slight bias towards her more cunning students.

When the two girls entered the room, they found most of the class was already there and there were no open double desks, only singular spots.

Alicia threw Andromeda a sorry glance and took the seat next to Emma, leaving only one other open spot for Andromeda.

She took her seat quietly. She was sitting next to a girl with long honey blonde hair. She recognized her instantly. She was a Gryffindor sixth year. Her name was Hestia Jones.

The only reason Andromeda knew her was because Bellatrix couldn't stand her. She was a beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and she was what Bellatrix had affectionately called a 'bloodtraitor bitch'. Hestia was a Pureblood but she spent all of her time with bloodtraitors and muggleborns. Bellatrix thought she was a disgrace to the wizarding world, and that she was almost as bad as the Weasley's.

Bellatrix's nose had always wrinkled when she talked about Hestia.

It seemed to Andromeda that Hestia must know this, because she didn't look pleased to be sitting next to her. She must know that she was her sister. It was hard to forget when you noticed how alike they looked. And she was a Black. Whether you loved The Black's or hated them. You knew who they were.

" Today" Professor McGonagall said to the class, " we will be learning how to transfigure chairs into tables"

Professor McGonagall went onto a short lecture discussing how it was done, detailing the wand movements and the correct incantations, before finally turning everyone loose to practice it.

Andromeda stood next to Hestia, trying to transfigure the small folding chair in front of her into a nightstand.

" So you're Bellatrix's sister right?" Hestia asked after a minute.

Andromeda nodded and face forward, not sure whether her answer was going to upset Hestia.

" Well she's a bit much" Hestia said raising her eyebrows.

Andromeda bit her lip nervously, " She is"

Hestia turned to look at her, " Are you talking to me? A member of the most ancient and noble house of Black is associating with the infamous bloodtraitor Hestia Jones?"

Andromeda turned to her quickly, getting slightly angry. She hated when people grouped her and Bellatrix together. She, Bellatrix, and Narcissa where all their own people, with their own opinions. They were not interchangeable. Not all of the Black girls were the same.

" Were not all the same, you know" Andromeda snapped at her, " we don't all think all of the same things, and I don't appreciate you insinuating such"

Hestia looked at her strangely for a moment. It made Andromeda uncomfortable, like she was trying to figure her out.

" Well sorry" she said after a minute, " I shouldn't of assumed"

Andromeda nodded and turned back to her chair, " Sorry for snapping at you, you hit a nerve"

" I can see that" Hestia said with a small laugh.

" We're not the same person" Andromeda said, " and I've spent my entire life being compared to her"

Hestia smiled slightly, " Well thank Godric you're not the same person, because you're sister's kind of a bitch"

Andromeda eyed her strangely, " She's still my sister" she told her slightly angrily.

Hestia shrugged, " Doesn't mean she's not, and I'm guessing if she's a bitch to other people, she's probably a bitch to you too"

Andromeda stared at Hestia with confusion. She was sort of right. Bellatrix could be extremely harsh to her and it did bother her, but she had never heard anyone talk about her so cruelly. She knew that Gryffindors hated Bellatrix and probably her by extension but she had never heard anyone say it out loud before. The Slytherins were too impressed and scared of her family to ever speak ill of them. And hearing someone talk about it like this, was sort of refreshing.

" She kind of is a bitch" Andromeda agreed quietly.

Hestia burst into loud, raucous laughter, causing Professor McGonagall to eye them both reproachfully.

" You know" Hestia said, " Not all of you Black's may be as bad as I thought"

Transfiguration ended and Andromeda made her way to Care of Magical Creatures, were Professor Grubbly Plank had them treating sick unicorns.

Xenophilius Lovegood ended up getting stabbed in the hand with the corn and had to be taken to the Hospital wing, while he swore loudly. That wasn't uncommon for Care of Magical Creatures. It usually ended with a Hospital wing visit or swearing, usually both.

By lunch, Andromeda was exhausted, and had to motivate herself to go to her next class.

Luckily, almost all of the Slytherin sixth years were in her potions class, so she wouldn't have to be the only Slytherin like she was in her last class.

She walked with Alicia, Emma, Evan and Rabastan down to the dungeon classroom. Most of the Slytherins liked being in the Potions Classroom, since it was so close to their common room, and the drafty air reminded them of being there.

The four Slytherins walked into the classroom and took their usual seats. Alicia had sat down with Evan, so Rabastan took the seat next to Andromeda.

Andromeda felt herself blush slightly as he sat next to her.

Professor Slughorn was at the front classroom adjusting his waistcoat, which looked like it had shrunken slightly from the previous year. He had an overly excited look on his face and in his hands he clutched a piece of parchment.

" Welcome Students to the N.E.W.T. class!" he cried cheerfully when the last student walked into the room.

He walked up and down the rows before walking back up to the front of the room.

" This year, I have decided that the best way for you all to really understand the material is to assign you a partner" Slughorn said happily. He looked thrilled with this assignment.

Everyone around the room groaned. They all like the current system, where they could sit with their friends and housemates.

Slughorn frowned slightly, " Your partner and you will work on class assignments together and I think it will help you to learn the material and expand your social networks"

Alicia looked like she was positively fuming with anger. She kept muttering " _I should have dropped Potions_ " under her breath.

" So I'll read out the names of the Partners and then you can all sit with them" Slughorn said opening the Parchment in front of him

" Nott and Lovegood

Lestrange and Jones

Rosier and Skeeter

Black and Tonks

Vanity and Vance

Avery and Burbage

MacNair and Weasley"

None of the class was thrilled with their partners. Slughorn had obviously pared students with a member of different houses.

Andromeda looked over to where her partner was. Tonks. He was a Hufflepuff in her year, she didn't know very much about him except that he was a muggleborn. As a Slytherin, it was her 'job' to know who the muggleborns where.

" Ew, you got a mudblood" Alicia commented looking over to where Tonks was sitting.

Andromeda shrugged and did her best to look displeased. She wasn't thrilled about working with a muggleborn, but she wasn't all that concerned about it. It wasn't like you could catch being a mudblood.

There was a shuffle as all of the sixth years separated and sat down next to their partners.

Andromeda clutched her books and her bag and brought them over to the empty seat next to Tonks.

She put her books down and sat down in the seat, facing Slughorn. Tonks looked up and she saw him eyeing her with an odd expression. Was that distaste?

She tried to ignore it, and focused on the Blood replenishing potion that Slughorn was explaining how to make.

When he finished they all gathered the supplies they would need and set to work. Andromeda was still stirring her potion and she could see the boy was still looking at her.

" Can I help you?" She asked him angrily, turning to look at him.

He had sandy blond hair and tanned skin. His eyes were wide and blue and he was tall. She recognized him now. He was on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and it only further enraged her.

" Why are you staring at me?" she demanded.

" I wasn't looking at _you_ " he snapped, and it was definitely distaste that she had detected, " your books are on my quill" he said gesturing to the table.

She looked where he was pointing, and her copy of _Advanced Guide to Potion Making_ was on top of his quill.

" You could have just moved them" Andromeda told him moving her books as far away from him as she could, " or asked me too, you didn't have to bloody stare"

Tonks' raised an eyebrow, " You're a Pureblood, and I'm muggleborn" he reminded her icily. His tone was one of obvious dislike.

"Your kind have killed mine for less" he snapped.

Andromeda stared at him in disbelief. She had never been spoken to with such hatred before, and from a muggleborn no less.

She narrowed her eyes angrily, " Well, not all Pureblood want Mudbloods dead" she snapped.

She had made sure to emphasize mudblood. Normally, she hated to use the word but this boy was making her so furious she employed a tactic she knew Bellatrix would use.

Her sister would never be pushed around by a muggleborn, and as Black. She shouldn't either.

" Oh no" the boy said shaking his head in false agreement, " you just want us all gone, you don't want us in the wizarding world, and would be perfectly fine if we all disappeared, but you don't want us dead. I'm sorry should I be grateful?"

Anger bubbled inside Andromeda.

" Well" she said turning away to face him, " I don't really care what happens to you as long as you all stay far away from me"

Tonks rolled his eyes, " You know, you think I'm scum because of what my parents are, but I bet you don't even know my name" he snapped.

" It's Tonks" Andromeda said spinning around to face him, " so, ha!"

The boy raised an eyebrow, " My first name?"

Andromeda frowned. She was sure she remembered it from Quidditch. She had heard the announcer say it before, but she couldn't recall exactly what it was. Tom, maybe?

" See" Tonks said crossing his arms, " you all think you're so right about Muggleborns but you don't know anything about us"

" Well you don't know anything about me either" Andromeda snapped, " I bet you don't even know my name"

Tonks rolled his eyes and turned back to his potion, " Andromeda Black"

Andromeda tightened in embarrassment. She hadn't been expecting him to know her name. It made her angry because she couldn't remember his.

She turned back to her potion, still angry from the conversation.

She didn't know what it was about this particular boy but he was getting under her skin. She had never met a muggleborn who was so opinionated before. Usually the hid in fear from her, afraid that she would curse them like Bellatrix did, or even confusing her for Bella. Regardless, she had never met someone who challenged her. It frustrated her.

She finished the potion and bottled it in silence, not even casting a look at the boy next to her. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

When the class ended, she gathered her things quickly and left the classroom at almost a run.

All of her housemates were complaining about the Potions class and their partners, but none of them besides Thomas had a muggleborn, and Charity Burbage feared Slytherins so that wasn't that bad.

Andromeda had had such a horrible period that she stomped into the common room still angry from what Tonks had said.

She sat down on one of the silk couches and stewed. How did she not remember his first name.

" Whats wrong with you?" Alicia asked sitting beside her.

" That mug- Mudblood" Andromeda corrected herself, remembering who she was talking too, " Tonks, is going to drive me insane"

" Ted Tonks?" Alicia asked, " He's the worst kind of Mudblood, loud and a Hufflepuff"

Ted. So that was his name. Andromeda knew it had started with a T.

" I'm sure you could convince Lestrange to hex him for you" Alicia said wiggling her eyebrows.

Andromeda rolled her eyes and shoved Alicia in the shoulder while she laughed.

" If he needs to be hexed, I'll do it myself" She told her.

" That's the Andromeda, I know" Alicia said, " don't let the mudbloods get you down"

Andromeda crossed her arms determined to not let any muggleborn affect her like this. Especially not some Hufflepuff.

Ted Tonks was not going to bother Andromeda Black, she thought.

She had no idea how wrong she was.

The rest of the week trudged by. Andromeda sometimes couldn't decide whether the first week back was the best or the worst. Being a sixth year was much harder than she had thought. She had so much homework now that she had to spend almost all of her time in the library, and she had to patrol every night. She couldn't imagine how hard it was going to be when Quidditch started up again. Bletchley had told her the night before that on Saturday they would be having tryouts and then regular practices would start after that.

Andromeda soon found out that the patrols were the worst part of being at Hogwarts. The hour that she spent walking around the castle making awkward conversation with the other prefect would be better spent trying to finish all of the homework she had been assigned.

The worst part was on Friday night, when she looked at her schedule to find that her friday night patrol partner was Ted Tonks.

She hadn't spoken him to since their argument in Potions. She hadn't said a word to him at all during the last lesson, but now there was nothing she could do.

She couldn't avoid her patrols.

So on Friday night she met him on the fourth floor.

Neither of them spoke to each other. They just walked silently, staring forward.

It had only been a few minutes and Andromeda was so uncomfortable with the silence she didn't know how she was going to make it the whole hour.

" Okay so maybe I just don't understand" Ted said after a while, breaking the silence.

" Don't understand what, Ted?" Andromeda asked, making sure she used his name, to show she had learned it.

Ted rolled his eyes at her, " That doesn't count, you just asked someone"

Andromeda shrugged, " What don't you understand?"

Ted smiled, " What I don't understand is your racist muggleborn hatred" he said.

Andromeda blinked at him. Of course he wanted to talk about this. You'd think being a muggleborn he wouldn't want to discuss why he was inferior, but he kept bringing it up. Andromeda was perfectly happy to ignore it.

" What don't you understand?" She asked.

Ted frowned, " Why you Purebloods think you are so much better? Like I don't think you have a conclusive reason for it. And I would chock it up to all of you being a group of ignorant inbred bigoted arses but some of you, like you, are actually pretty intelligent"

" Did you just call me inbred?" Andromeda asked in disbelief.

Ted nodded, " And intelligent"

Andromeda was slightly shocked. She knew a lot of her family was inbred, there was no way for Purebloods to keep their bloodlines closed without slight inbreeding but hearing it out loud, made her feel horrible. She hated that feeling.

" So?" Ted probed, " Why? I don't get why you think Muggleborns are so bad"

Andromeda sighed, " You don't want to know"

Ted crossed his arms in frustration, " Try me"

Andromeda took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the speech her parents had given her her entire life.

" Well" Andromeda said quietly, " Pureblood witches and wizards have more magical blood, so we're better at magic than you are"

Ted stared at her in disbelief, " But it's all magical blood, why does it matter if you're parents are magical"

Andromeda looked at her shoes. This was the question she had always asked herself. But her parents had had an answer for this too, so that's what she told Ted.

" Muggleborn witches and wizards are believed to have stolen their magic" she said quietly.

Ted stopped in the middle of the hallway, " You're kidding"

Andromeda shook her head.

Ted looked like he was torn between disbelief, confusion and anger.

" You can not be telling me" Ted said shaking his head, " that you actually believe that"

Andromeda shrugged, " I mean I guess I do"

Ted stared at her, his eyes widening, " Come on Andromeda, that's ridiculous. You have to know that"

Andromeda bit her lip. Part of her did think it was ridiculous. Part of her wanted to agree with Ted. But she remembered who she was.

She was Andromeda Black. Pureblood Slytherin and member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. She should hate muggleborns. She shouldn't even be talking to one, let alone sympathizing with one. What would her parents think of her.

" That's what I believe" Andromeda said, hoping it would be the end of the conversation.

" There's no way you believe that" Ted said angrily, " you're way too smart for that"

" You don't know me" Andromeda pointed out, her voice hardening, " you have no idea what I believe or why"

Ted looked at her, studying her face, " Fine then"  
They walked down the halls in silence again, before Ted turned to her again.

" So if you think all muggleborns are scum, you think I'm scum then too?" he asked.

Andromeda ran her hand through her hair, she had really hoped he would drop this.

" No, I don't think you're scum, Ted" she said as they walked.

Her comment seemed to brighten Ted up slightly.

" Well do you think I'm a worse wizard then one of your Slytherin purebloods?" he asked.

She didn't know how to answer. From what she had seen, Ted was no worse than Rabastan or Rosier. And he was certainly better than Bulstrode. But if she believed this, then everything she had ever been told was wrong. If a muggleborn was better than a Pureblood, then why were they considered worse. If that was true, then everything Andromeda had ever known was wrong. Everything she had been told was false. It was too much for her to think about.

" No, you're just as good" Andromeda said quietly.

A smile spread across Ted's face, " Then you see, your muggleborn theory is wrong"

" It's not wrong" Andromeda said, desperately trying to cling to the ideas that she knew.

" But you just said!" Ted exclaimed.

Andromeda stopped him, " Enough, Ted. Please, stop. You're trying to change my opinion on everything I know, and I can't do that okay? I'm a Black. That means something. There's a certain way I have to act, and certain things I have to believe, even if I personally don't agree and this is one of those things. It doesn't matter if I understand your point, or if I agree with you. I am a Black. And Black's are Purebloods, we don't sympathize with muggleborns" she practically shouted.

Andromeda felt emotionally gutted. She had just said things to this Muggleborn boy that she had never even admitted to herself. Things that would get her disowned.

Ted stared at her dumbfounded.

" I'm sorry" he said after a few more minutes.

Andromeda nodded and they walked in silence for a few more minutes.

Andromeda couldn't believe everything she had just said to him. That could destroy her.

" Ted?" she asked.

He looked up at her from beneath his dirty blond hair, " Yes?"

" Please don't repeat what I said okay?" Andromeda said quietly.

Ted nodded and a wide smile formed on his face, " Just so I'm getting this right, you don't want me to tell anyone that you're secretly a compassionate person who isn't evil?"

Andromeda nodded and Ted burst into laughter, " Alright, Andromeda"

The two of them finished their patrols in silence, both understanding the other a little better.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Andromeda woke up early the next morning. She was strangely excited for the day ahead. Despite the fact that her Captain Bletchley had made her wake up at six in the morning, Andromeda couldn't contain her excitement at the idea of being back on the Quidditch pitch for tryouts. It had been ages since she had ridden her broom. She could have done it over the summer, but Andromeda was the only at the Black Manor who played Quidditch, and she hadn't found it fun to fly by herself.

But at Hogwarts, there was nothing she wanted to do more than get out on her Comet 73, even if it meant she had to endure three hours of Bletchley yelling at her to throw the Quaffle further.

She grabbed her Quidditch robes out of her trunk and dressed quickly, pulling her hair into a high ponytail on the top of her head.

All of her dorm mates were all still asleep, so Andromeda crept quietly out of the dormitory and into the common room where the rest of the of the team was waiting.

Bletchley had been the captain of the team for several years. He was a seventh year and a tall scrawny boy, which made him the perfect keeper. He sat in one of the armchairs looking fully awake, while all of the other team members sat near him looking significantly more tired.

The team's seeker, and the only other female player, Rolanda Hooch sat on one of the couches looking like she was trying to sleep with her eyes open, and Gregory Goyle, one of the other chasers sat next to her looking quite irritated to be up before the sun.

Andromeda walked over to the group and was soon joined by Rabastan, who had just come down from the boy's dormitory.

" Well now that you're all here, we can get going" Bletchley said hopping up with a strange amount of enthusiasm.

The other team members groaned in annoyance as they followed him out of the common room and into the castle, heading towards the grounds.

" Bletchley is getting a little out of hand, huh?" Rabastan said to Andromeda as they followed behind the rest of the team.

Andromeda nodded, " It's too bloody early for quidditch" she agreed.

" It's never too early for quidditch!" Bletchley called from the front of the group.

Rabastan rolled his eyes, " Before breakfast is too early" he whispered to Andromeda, who responded to his comment with a small giggle.

Rabastan broke into a wide smile and walked at more of a strut. He was pleased that he was able to make her smile. She was, after all, a Black.

The Slytherin team entered through the changing rooms and grabbed their brooms, before walking out onto the pitch. The sun was just coming up and it left the pitch illuminated with the early morning light.

The five players mounted their brooms and did a few laps around the pitch to warm themselves up.

Andromeda couldn't believe how good it felt to be on a broom again. She flew around the pitch at a lightening speed. It was the most relaxing thing she had done in a while.

" Come down, Black!" Bletchley shouted at her.

The rest of the team had been hovering around him a few feet lower than Andromeda.

Blushing slightly, Andromeda flew down to where they were and listened to what Bletchley was trying to say.

" So we need to fill two positions this year" Bletchley said firmly eyeing them all, " one chaser and one beater"

The team nodded. Both their chaser and beater had left the year before and had been very good. It was going to be very difficult trying to replace such good players, and find students who would be able to work well with the chemistry of the rest of the team.

Bletchley had the team fly drills for the next few hours. Trials didn't start until nine, but he wanted to make sure that the entire team was ready and focused when the hopefuls got there.

By the time that the prospective team members entered onto the field, Andromeda was already tired from all of the flying she had done.

There were about ten people trying out for the two spots. Bletchley had had them all fly around the pitch and then practice drills, whilst discussing each of their performances with Rabastan.

It had taken much longer than Andromeda expected. They were two hours in and they were still considering two people for each spot. All four of the candidates were Pureblood.

After another hour of drills and practices with the rest of the team, Bletchley decided to make the new chaser Amycus Carrow and the beater was a seventh year named Yaxley.

Andromeda was just happy that they had chosen someone. Now that they had filled the positions, Bletchley let them hang up their brooms and call it a day.

Breakfast was long over, and Andromeda was starving so she decided to make a trip to the kitchens.

She walked to the basement and stopped at the painting of fruit. Alicia had figured out in their first year, that the entrance to the kitchen was revealed if you tickled one of the fruit.

Andromeda reached out and stroked the pear. It shivered slightly and the painting moved, revealing the kitchens. She climbed through and was almost immediately greeted by several house elves.

They stared up at her wide eyed and eager.

" What can we get for you Ms. Black?" one of them asked excitedly.

" I don't suppose you had any scones or pumpkin juice left from breakfast?" Andromeda asked as her stomach rumbled loudly.

The house elves disappeared and a moment later returned with both on a silver platter. They placed it on one of the house tables and gestured for her to sit down.

" Thank you" Andromeda told them, and they nodded happily in response.

She sat down and devoured the food, feeling weak from the hours of flying and quaffle tossing she had just done.

Once she had finished, she bade them all goodbye and walked back towards the dungeons. She felt better now that she was fed.

She walked into the common room and wasn't surprised to find it very crowded. It was after breakfast on a Saturday, so most of the house was clustered around and seated on the couches and squishy armchairs.

Andromeda spotted her two sisters sitting on a couch immersed in close conversation. Andromeda plopped down beside them on the couch.

Narcissa wrinkled her nose at her, she was brushing her long blond hair, " Andromeda, you're covered in dirt" she said.

Andromeda smiled, " It was Quidditch tryouts today, Cissy" she told her.

" What a waste of time" Bellatrix said shaking her head in disapproval, " who cares about a bunch of people flying around on brooms?"

Andromeda frowned. She knew Bellatrix didn't like Quidditch. She had only ever shown up to the games when it was Slytherin V. Gryffindor, or when whatever boy she liked wanted to go. It was strange to Andromeda, how they could have been in the same family and liked different things.

" I agree" Narcissa said nodding, " Who would want to get dirty and sweaty all the time?"

Narcissa, though only eleven, was the Black daughter who was most concerned with her appearance. She hated any activity that ruffled her appearance even the slightest. She had even told Andromeda that that's why she didn't like Herbology.

Andromeda shrugged, " You both will like it when win the House Cup" she pointed out.

Both Bellatrix and Narcissa rolled their eyes at their middle sister, and Andromeda was once again plagued with the feeling that she always felt differently from them.

" So wait a second you're telling me that all of your family is named after Astronomy on purpose?" Hestia asked in disbelief.

Both girls were sitting in Transfiguration and attempting to change the color of their eyebrows.

" Yes," Andromeda said, " What did you think? Our names are Andromeda, Bellatrix, Sirius, and Regulus"

Hestia laughed, " Well I guess I hoped it was a coincidence"

Andromeda frowned at her, " I think it's nice, some family traditions are nice"

" Yeah, some are" Hestia said, " but naming your kids after stars is kind of stupid"

Andromeda shrugged. She had never thought much about it. Every black for centuries had been named after celestial beings. It was tradition.

" Well would you rather we all had boring names?" Andromeda asked her.

Hestia laughed, " You know, I think I may start a family tradition too. I'm going to name every one of my kids after vegetables. They'll be little Tomato, and Celery oh and baby carrot"

Andromeda rolled her eyes. Hestia had a tendency to be a little much, but she was amusing.

" Do it" she told her, " but I won't be responsible for the endless torture and bullying your kids are going to receive"

Hestia thought for a second, " Hey, so why is Narcissa named after a flower and a star? Who's her real dad?"

Andromeda laughed loudly, " Narcissa always seemed like more of a flower I guess"

Hestia frowned, " So much for tradition"

" Well" Andromeda said, " as is Pure blood and celestial names are a Black tradition, so is hypocrisy"

Hestia burst into loud laughter again.

Alicia turned in her chair to eye the two of them strangely. Andromeda tried to change her expression so she looked more unhappy to be there. Hestia was a bloodtraitor after all. She was supposed to hate her. But she didn't.

In fact, Andromeda quite like Hestia. She was loud and obnoxious at times, but she was also very funny and brutally honest. Andromeda found her refreshing to be around.

" Better be careful, Andromeda" Hestia warned jokingly, " keep talking like that and hanging around with the likes of me and they might be calling you bloodtraitor next"

Andromeda shook her head fiercely, " Not likely. I'm a Black, remember?"

Hestia feigned a look of longing, " Oh how could I forget? You're a Black, practically to Pureblood royalty" she said sarcastically.

" To them, I am" Andromeda said slightly frustrated.

It was true. As much as she hated to admit it, being a Black meant that Andromeda had a certain respect from the other Slytherins, whether she liked it or not.

" I wouldn't worry too much about them" Hestia said letting her glance drift over to where the other sixth year Slytherins sat, " they look like a bunch of gits to me"

" You're a Gryffindor" Andromeda reminded her, " you hate all Slytherins regardless"

Hestia shook her head and her blonde hair moved around her, " Nope. I hate _almost_ all Slytherins, I'm fine with you"

Andromeda laughed, " Well, don't I feel special"

Hestia grinned, " You should, I don't like any other Slytherins, this is an honor"

The rest of the period passed quickly and when it was over, Andromeda caught up with her Slytherin friends as they headed back to the common room.

" You looked pretty cozy with Jones today" Alicia said to Andromeda, while clutching Evan's hand.

" Hestia? the bloodtraitor?" Evan asked. Alicia nodded.

Andromeda shook her head, " No, she just sits next to me"

Alicia shrugged and the group sat down on the couches where the Lestrange brothers were sitting with some of the other sixth and seventh years telling a story that had everyone's attention.

" ….and then we hexed all of them, you should have seen it. They were dropping like flies" Rodolphus exclaimed happily.

Bellatrix who was sitting practically on top of him, laughed loudly and he grinned at her.

" What are we talking about?" Emma asked sitting on the edge of the couch.

" The group of mudbloods we hexed during first period" Roldolphus told her happily.

Evan smiled, " Really? Wish I had been there. I'm always in the mood to hunt a mudblood"

" Next time, Mate" Rabastan assured him.

Andromeda felt her stomach flip. It was making her upset to hear them all talk about they hexed the muggleborns with such joy. They were still people after all. And hexing anyone was against school rules.

Andromeda listened as they detailed the rest of their attack in vivid details. She should be enjoying the details, asking for them to repeat their descriptions like Alicia and Bellatrix were. She knew she should be thrilled and want to help next time. But she wasn't. She felt awful.

It struck her then how different she was from all of them. If they knew how she felt right now, they'd be disgusted.

 _Get yourself together Andromeda_ she hissed in her head.

She had to start thinking like them. And acting like them. After all, she was a pureblood. And she had better start acting like it if she wanted her life to stay the same.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As the first month of school disappeared and most of the Hogwarts students got into their new routines, and all anyone could talk about was the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend.

Andromeda was extremely excited for it. Hogsmeade was always fun, and it would be a nice break from the endless hours she had already spent doing homework this year. She had never skipped a chance to go down to the village. So that weekend, Andromeda trotted down the castle's courtyard with Emma and Alicia to where Professor McGonagall was standing with the list of students.

Everyone was crowded around her. No one ever skipped the first Hogsmeade visit, so every student third year and above was trying to get into the village.

Professor Mcgonagall checked the three girls names off of the list and they began walking down to the village.

The air was quite chilly. Andromeda clutched her jacket around her tightly. The air had changed from the warmth of summer to the whipping winds of autumn and Andromeda hadn't noticed. But now as the wind slapped her cheeks, it seemed so obvious.

" I am dying for a cauldron cake" Alicia said as the village of Hogsmeade appeared in front of them. Its normally scarce streets were crowded with Hogwarts students.

The shop owners loved Hogsmeade weekends, because it was great for their business, and so they welcomed the students into the village happily.

Andromeda followed Emma and Alicia towards Honeydukes. The shop was crowded with a collection of third years.

She stopped to sniff the air. Honeydukes always had such a sweet aroma around it. So many different smells filled the tiny shop, from all of the different candies that permeated the shelves. Andromeda walked down the aisles of the shop and looked at all of the new candies that they had placed on the shelves.

She stopped at the display of chocolate frogs and smiled to herself. There had been a summer when she was little when she, Bellatrix, and Narcissa were so determined to collect all of the cards that they had made their father buy them by the pound. They hadn't even eaten them all, they mainly just wanted the cards. Andromeda had given all of her chocolate to the house elf, who happened to have a craving for it. Between the three girls they had amassed a collection of hundreds of cards. Andromeda couldn't remember where they were now. Probably in a box in Bellatrix's closet, if her mother hadn't already gotten rid of them. Andromeda hoped she hadn't. She made a mental note to ask her when she came home for Christmas. Collecting those cards together was one of the only things that the three sisters had been able to do without fighting, and Andromeda felt it would be nice to see them again.

Andromeda stopped and grabbed a small box of sugar quills off of the shelf. They were one of her favorites.

Sugar quills in hand, she walked back to the front of the shop were a group of third years were sampling Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, and from the looks on their faces had just gotten a particularly nasty one. She shuddered remembering the first time she had ever tried an earwax one. She had never had the same craving for them after that. She walked to the front of the store at paid for the sugar quills. The witch at the counters smiled at her and asked her what her favorite flavor was.

Andromeda was about to answer when she heard a shrill voice come from the bakery case. It was a voice she recognized.

" _I don't care if you got here first, It's the last one and you're not getting it you filthy little mudblood!_ " Alicia shrieked.

She was towering over a Ravenclaw, fifth year by the look of her. Andromeda noticed the look of fear on the girl's face. She was clutching a cauldron cake in her hand and staring up at the irate Alicia with fear.

" But, I've already paid for it, and I've wanted it for a while now" the girl said quietly.

Alicia let out a cruel laugh that even caused Andromeda's knees to tremble.

" You think I care?" Alicia said coldly, " If you're smart you'll give it to me, Mudblood. Let me assure you, people like you shouldn't piss off Purebloods like me. Unless you like torture"

All of the color drained from the girl's face as she quickly handed over the cauldron cake and fled the shop in tears. Andromeda stared forward at Alicia and Emma, who were both now looking pleased with themselves.

Andromeda felt an upsurge of anger towards her friends. What Alicia had just done was ridiculous. So what if she was a Pureblood, so what if she believed that she was more magically inclined. Why should that mean that she can threaten them and take their property. She had just stolen from that girl, for Merlin's sakes.

Alicia walked over to her, holding the Cauldron Cake. She had a small smile on her lips. Emma followed next to her, looking rather pleased as well.

" I got my Cauldron Cake" Alicia said happily, " I think I fancy a butterbeer, you coming Andromeda?" she asked.

Andromeda had to resist the urge to say something angry. She couldn't believe what Alicia had done, but questioning it would make them believe she had felt bad for the muggleborn. And she had, but if they knew that, they'd tell Bellatrix and it would just cause more problems. So instead Andromeda mustered all the strength she had and said a polite, " No, thanks"

She left Alicia and Emma in Honeydukes and stalked off by herself. She didn't want to be around them at the moment. She was still too mad.

The worst part was she wasn't allowed to be mad. She should have thought it was funny. She should have respected Alicia for what she did. Thats what Bellatrix would do. Thats what people would expect her to do. Thats what she was supposed to do.

But she didn't want. She had felt bad for the muggleborn girl. She had wanted to help her or comfort her, and the worst part was she knew she couldn't.

She was walking more quickly now. The more she pondered how she felt about the situation, the angrier she got. Why couldn't she just not care? Why did she have to be the one Slytherin with a conscious?

She walked past a group of Hufflepuffs and headed for the trail that led near the woods and the shrieking shack. There were very few students here and Andromeda thought it would be good for her to be by herself.

" Andromeda Black?" A voice called as it caught up to her. She turned to see Ted Tonks walking after her.

She sighed. She was already thinking enough as it was without this nosy Hufflepuff lopping after her, probing her to rethink everything she had ever been taught.

" What Tonks?" she asked irritably, walking further away from the village.

Ted smiled crookedly, " Tonks, huh? Formal, aren't we?"

Andromeda rolled her eyes, " I'm not in the mood Ted"

Ted just laughed, " Not in the mood for a chat with a sunny charismatic young lad, that's impossible Andromeda"

Andromeda rolled her eyes at his usual chipperness.

" What is it with you Hufflepuffs?" She asked quickly, " why do you always have to be so god damn cheerful?"

Ted smiled as he caught up with her and walked next to her, " Well we're extremely loyal, chipperness is part of the package"

" I don't remember signing up for it" Andromeda said darkly. She was still fuming from the inner monologue in her head.

Ted looked at her curiously, " What's wrong with you?" he asked, looking confused.

She shook her head and said " Nothing"

" Yeah and I'm a hippogriff" Ted said rolling his eyes, " come on, what's bothering you?"

Andromeda bit her lip in hesitation. The last thing she wanted to do was confide in Ted. He was a muggleborn, and talking to him would only emphasize her problem. But the more she thought about it, she couldn't think of who else she could talk about it with. Her sisters or any of her Slytherin friends would practically disown her for feeling bad for a muggleborn. And Hestia would only encourage it, nothing would make her happier than turning Andromeda into another bloodtraitor. Hestia believed it was the best title a Pureblood could have.

Ted raised his eyebrow at Andromeda. She looked behind her and realized that they were now so far from Hogsmeade that no one would be able to see them anyway, so she sat down on the grass and Ted joined her.

" Well," Andromeda said sighing, " it's complicated"

Ted rolled his eyes, " Everything with you is"

Andromeda narrowed her eyes. She hated how rude he could be. Actually, it wasn't rude exactly, but Ted always said the things to her that she didn't want to be told. No one ever did this to her, and she found she didn't like it.

She told him everything that had happened with Alicia at Honeydukes, and the whole time Ted sat there quietly listening.

" And I felt bad for her" Andromeda said quietly, " I wanted to help her"

Ted stared at her blank faced, " I think I'm missing the problem".

" I'm a Black" Andromeda reminded him, " I'm supposed to hate Muggleborns, I can't feel bad for them"

Ted blinked at her quickly, " So, you're telling me that the problem you're having right now is that you're acting like a good person?"

Andromeda shrugged, " Depends on how you define good person"

" Empathetic, compassionate, kind" Ted told her quickly.

" My family would disagree" Andromeda said wrapping her arms around her legs.

She took a sugar quill from the box and offered one to Ted.

He eyed her strangely, " Are you sure you want my muggleborn hands filthying up your candy?" he asked sarcastically.

Andromeda rolled her eyes, taking one out and throwing it at him, " You know for someone who thinks this whole blood status thing is ridiculous, you bring it up a lot" she pointed out.

Ted shrugged, popping the sugar quill in his mouth, " Just pointing out the obvious"

He wiped his hands on his pants and he looked back at her, " So why don't you just be the one Slytherin who doesn't hate muggleborns?" he asked.

Andromeda looked at him in disbelief, " Haven't you been listening, I can't. I'll be disowned"

Ted frowned, " For doing the right thing? That's stupid"

Andromeda bit her nails. Everything Ted said was everything that Andromeda had always thought but never could actually say. It was thoughts like these that if her parents knew she had, she would be forced to sit through hours of ' The Dangers Mudbloods Pose' lectures.

Andromeda shrugged, " That's my life".

Ted looked like he couldn't believe what she was saying. But he shook his head and seemed to come to terms with it.

" Do you ever wonder what you would be life if you had had different parents?" he asked her.

Andromeda shook her head fiercely. She wanted to think about it. What it would be like to have parents like Hestia's. Would she have been in Slytherin? Or would she have been in Ravenclaw, with a family who didn't care what she thought of muggleborns. Andromeda couldn't afford to think like that. Her parents were the only parents she had, and the only ones she was going to get.

" I can't think about that" she said quietly, getting to her feet. Ted followed her and they both walked back towards the village.

" This probably won't help you" Ted told her, " but you know these thoughts that you think are so horrible? They prove that you're a good person"

Andromeda was shocked by his words. She had always thought that the differences between her and her fellow Slytherins were a bad thing. She had never considered the fact that it may make her better. Either way, it made her life hard.

" It doesn't help" Andromeda admitted sheepishly, " but it makes me feel less like scum"

Ted shook his head as he walked, " You have a really warped sense of logic, Andromeda Black"

The forest path had turned back to cobble street and the shops were now visible. Andromeda turned to Ted, " I should go"

He nodded, " Can't let Andromeda, Slytherin Pureblood be seen willingly spending time with a mudblood"

It looked as if it had hurt him to say. But it was true. Andromeda threw him an apologetic glance and walked off into the village and away from him.

People were still everywhere, and as she walked Andromeda realized how many of her fellow classmates she actually didn't know. In Slytherin, it wasn't a priority to know everyone. Only the people who were important enough to help you get ahead.

She rounded the corner onto the main road and almost walked into a group of familiar people. It was Rabastan, Thomas, and Erasmus.

" Andromeda!" Thomas said in surprise, " where did you come from?"

Andromeda looked behind her quickly and saw that Ted had already rejoined his Hufflepuff friends and was now talking with Alfie Cattermole, who was also in their year. There was no sign that he and Andromeda had been in the same place.

" I just went for a walk" Andromeda said quickly. She was flushed and slightly exasperated.

Rabastan smiled slightly, " Any chance you feel like getting a butterbeer?" he asked.

Andromeda nodded, " Oh, sure"

Rabastan walked away from his friends and he and Andromeda walked towards the Three Broomsticks.

It was crowded with students, but they managed to find a table in the back that was empty. After they sat down, a witch came over and brought them two butterbeers.

" So are you enjoying your Hogsmeade day?" Rabastan asked.

Andromeda nodded, despite the fact that this Hogsmeade trip was less enjoyable then she would have hoped.

" I heard Alicia had a little run in with a mudblood" Rabastan said shaking his head, " she can be a bit thick"

Andromeda stiffened slightly at how offhandedly Rabastan had said 'Mudblood'. It shouldn't have shocked her. All of the Slytherins used it like it was no more harmful than 'Merlin'. Andromeda was the only one who didn't.

" Yeah she was a little dramatic" Andromeda told him.

" She was really stupid about it" Rabastan agreed. Andromeda brightened slightly hearing him say that.

He shook his head, " You never threaten them in public, then if they do get attacked they know you did it"

Andromeda's stomach knotted itself hearing that. Rabastan was advocating for hexing the muggleborns.

She quickly took a sip of butterbeer so she didn't have to comment. She had hoped Rabastan would be different. But he thought just like the other Slytherins, and Andromeda panicked as she realized that she was the one who wasn't who was upfront about who they were.

Andromeda had found that the best way to distract herself from her newfound questioning thoughts was to throw herself headfirst into as much schoolwork as she could. She couldn't have time to think about muggleborns or blood status if she was too busy trying to get through all of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ or knee deep in the two foot Transfiguration essay that was due next week. She had spent so much time in the library lately, she was practically on a first name basis with Madam Pince. Every free moment she had when she wasn't in class, quidditch practice or meals, she was in the library. At the back table, buried behind a stack of large leather bound books.

She was usually never bothered. Neither her sisters or her housemates came in here very often, so she was usually left alone.

The majority of the students in here were Ravenclaws, and they were so dedicated to the their studying there could have been an explosion and they still might not look up from their work.

Andromeda was in the library after dinner one of the nights she didn't have to patrol, when a brown haired boy in Hufflepuff robes walked over to her table. It was Alfie Cattermole. He was in her Care of Magical Creatures class.

" Are you done with Fantastic Beasts?" he asked gesturing to the large leather boom that was discarded by her left elbow.

" Oh, yeah" she said handing it to him and turning back to the essay in front of her.

" You're Andromeda right?" Alfie asked her.

She looked up at him again and nodded, " Yeah"

He laughed, " Ted's my best mate"

Andromeda sighed, " Ah, then I'm sure you've heard all kinds of horrible things about me already"

Alfie laughed, " No, he said some good things too. The bad stuff was mostly about you're family, not you"

Andromeda looked up at him strangely, " Ted tends to pry a little doesn't he?"

Alfie grinned, " He's very concerned. He likes to fix people"

Andromeda sighed, " I've noticed" she said running her hands through her hair.

Alfie smiled " Thanks for the book"

Andromeda nodded and he disappeared around the shelves. She turned back to her essay, but was interrupted again.

" Was that Andromeda Black, infamous Pureblood Slytherin royalty spotted talking to a _Half-Blood Hufflepuff?_ " Hestia asked in false horror.

She walked over to Andromeda's table with a tall dark haired girl.

Andromeda smiled, " Is that Hestia Jones, showy Gryffindor Bloodtraitor?"

Hestia frowned, " Showy? I don't know if I like that"

Andromeda smiled " Sorry, you're a Gryffindor, it's your nature"

Hestia smiled, " Spoke like a ruthless Slytherin"

Andromeda looked down to where the Serpent adorned her robes, " I've accepted it"

" As you should" Hestia said tossing her hair behind her shoulder. She turned to the girl next to her.

" Are you sure you're in the right place?" Hestia asked, " I didn't think Slytherins knew where the library was"

Andromeda shrugged, " I'm not even really a Slytherin"

Hestia laughed, " Very true" she agreed.

" This is my friend, Emmeline Vance," Hestia said, " also a showy Gryffindor"

Emmeline flashed a wide smile, " So this is the 'not so horrible' Slytherin" she said eyeing Andromeda.

Andromeda smiled at her, " Apparently, according to Hestia"

" You'll like her" Hestia assured Emmeline, " once you get passed how much she looks like that sister of hers"

Andromeda rolled her eyes and Emmeline laughed. Sometimes she wondered how she and Bellatrix looked so much alike and how Narcissa did not. She was just happy her hair was straight. Despite the fact that she was a lot tanner than Bellatrix, if her hair was curly she knew she would look to similar to her for her comfort.

" So," Hestia said turning behind her to make sure that Madam Pince wasn't close enough to hear her talking in the library, " did you hear about what happened with that tart McKinnon?"

" No, what?" Andromeda asked.

In their last Transfiguration lesson, Hestia had gone for an hour about the exploits of a girl in her house, Marlene McKinnon and now even Andromeda was invested in the story.

Emmeline started to giggle, she obviously knew what Hestia was about to say.

Hestia grinned, " She got cursed by one her exploits girlfriends and how her eyebrow hair is covering her eyes!"

All three girls began to laugh, and were soon ushered out of the library by an irate Madam Pince.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As the first Quidditch game of the season neared closer, the Slytherin team began to spend all of their free time on the Quidditch Pitch. The first game this year was against Hufflepuff, and it was the first time in awhile that they had a decent team. Bletchley refused to lose to the school 'duffers' and consequently forced the team to practice for hours every night. He had them fly drills for hours, play games, and run laps around the pitch. All of the players were worked so hard that it wasn't uncommon to see all seven of them with their faces buried in their dinner plates.

Andromeda came back to the common room every night covered in dirt and sweat, exhausted from the grueling hours of practicing.

As much as she loved it, she was starting to dread practices. There were only so many four hour practices a person could take in a week, and for the last three weeks Bletchley had them out there six nights a week. Andromeda was having to finish homework at meals so that she could finish everything she needed too.

The Friday night before their first match, Bletchley had them all out on the Pitch right after dinner. He was having them all practice their individual skills. Rolanda was flying around the pitch chasing a snitch, Rabastan and Yaxley were practicing sending bludgers at the targets, and Bletchley was standing in front of the goal hoops while Andromeda, Amycus, and Goyle all attempted to get the quaffle past him.

They were out there for several hours, and Andromeda looked down at the watch on her wrist. She had five minutes until she had to meet Ted to patrol.

" BLETCHLEY!" she called as she flew over to him, " I've got Prefect patrols" she told him.

Bletchley sighed, " All right everyone, let's turn in. And get a good night sleep tonight. We need it"

The rest of the team flew down to the changing room and hung up their brooms. Andromeda didn't have time to change out of her Quidditch robes so she pulled her hair into a ponytail and headed to the fourth floor, where she found Ted waiting.

He eyed her outfit curiously, a small smile on his lips.

" Nice robes" he told her, following her down the fourth floor hallway.

" Quidditch practice ran late" she told him as they walked.

" Ready to lose tomorrow?" Ted asked happily.

Andromeda had forgotten he was on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. She would be playing against him tomorrow. They were both chasers.

" I don't know, are you?" she asked.

Ted laughed, " You Slytherins, always so confident"

" Coming from the King of Arrogance over here" Andromeda pointed out.

Ted stared at her in disbelief, " King of Arrogance?"

Andromeda nodded and continued to walk forward.

Ted smiled again, flashing his crooked smile at Andromeda, " You know I didn't think I was the royal one here, aren't you like Slytherin royalty"

" I wish everyone would stop saying that" she complained.

Andromeda hated the fact that her family made her so known. Sometimes she swore she would rather be ordinary, and have a family that not everyone seemed to know about. Sometimes the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black felt like more of a burden then a privilege.

" It's true though" Ted pointed out, " everyone knows about your family and you. The Slytherins want to be you, and the rest of the houses don't want to be anywhere near you. You're like a wizarding world Queen Elizabeth"

" Who?" Andromeda asked not knowing who Queen Elizabeth was or how she in any way related her.

" Queen Elizabeth" Ted repeated, " Andromeda, she's the Queen of England. Bloody hell you live in England!"

" She's a muggle right?" Andromeda asked, " How would I know her? I know who the Minister of Magic is"

Ted stared at her in amazement, " But don't you watch Television or something?"

Andromeda had no idea what he was talking about. He kept using words that she had no idea what they meant.

" What's Tellyvizon?" she asked him.

Ted burst into laughter, " Television" he told her, " It's a machine that let's you watch tv shows and movies"

Andromeda bit her lip as she tried to piece together what he was saying.

" So you watch pictures?" she asked.

Ted grinned, " Something like that, I'll show you sometime"

They rounded the corner and made it back to where they started.

" Good luck tomorrow" Andromeda told him.

" You too, Andromeda" Ted told her, and they both walked in opposite directions to their common rooms.

The next morning Andromeda woke up to find Slytherin House in a strange excitement. Though the Slytherins had a bad reputation for being selfish, nothing united them together like competition and a chance to defeat the other houses.

Alicia and Emma had spent the whole morning while Andromeda got dressed, talking about the different level of cuteness of the Slytherin players versus the Hufflepuff ones. Andromeda had to resist the urge to roll her eyes while she pulled her up onto the top of her head. She loved Quidditch but she was extremely nervous. Bletchley had put a lot of pressure on the entire team. Andromeda kept fiddling with the sleeve of her quidditch robes while the three girls walked through the Common Room.

" Good Luck Andromeda, hope we win!" Dolores Umbridge said clamping a hand on her back.

She wasn't the first. The entire Common Room seemed to be wishing the Slytherin players good luck. They all desperately wanted Slytherin to win and it put a tremendous pressure on the players.

Andromeda followed Emma and Alicia into the Great Hall and was overwhelmed by the sight. The entire school had seemed to go all out. Everywhere you turned the houses were all clutching signs and face paint that showed which team they were supporting.

Ravenclaw seemed to be overwhelmingly green, which pleasantly surprised Andromeda.

Unsurprisingly, the entire Gryffindor table was decked in Hufflepuff yellow.

" Sorry, Andromeda" Sirius said as he walked in behind her in a yellow jumper, " I love you, but I'm rooting for Hufflepuff"

Andromeda ruffled his hair, " I'll remember that at Christmas, you little twerp"

Sirius grinned widely at her and flicked his hair out his eyes, " You love me, Andromeda. I'm your favorite"

From beside him, James Potter snickered.

" Oh, don't you ever tire of hearing yourself talk, Sirius?" Bellatrix asked walking into the Hall. She was dressed in Slytherin Emerald and her nails were bright green.

She eyed their younger cousin, " Hmm Supporting the other team I see. Not surprising , you always were a blood traitor"

" Bella!" Andromeda scolded.

She knew Bellatrix didn't approve of all of the choices that Sirius made, but he still was their cousin, and he was only fourteen after all. He wasn't even old enough to know what he wanted.

" See this is why everyone likes Andromeda better than you, Bellatrix" Sirius said before he walked away.

Bellatrix scowled after him and led Andromeda to the Slytherin table, where the whole house was talking anxiously the game.

" Really try and win" Bellatrix said stabbing the sausage on her plate, " I'd like to wipe that smug look off of our cousin's face"

Andromeda shook her head at her sister's irritation, " I'll do my best"

" I wouldn't let Bletchley hear you say anything other than 'we're going to win'" Rolanda said sitting down across from the two Black sisters.

Andromeda sighed. Bletchley became almost volatile on Match days. He wanted Slytherin to win whatever the cost, and he wasn't shy about it.

The girls were joined by the Lestrange brothers who had just sat down at the table.

Rabastan was wearing his quidditch robes too, and they were stretched so that they revealed his beater toned muscles.

He caught Andromeda's eye and smiled.

" Ready to make our house proud?" he asked.

Andromeda smiled, " Let's hope we do, or Bletchley will have our head" she said biting into the toast in front of her.

The team finished breakfast quickly and then made their way to the changing rooms. The seven of them walked together, looking like a group of tall Leprechauns, adorned in their emerald robes.

The whole team sat on the benches waiting. They still had a few minutes before the match begun and they could hear the rest of the school climbing up the stairs to the stands.

" So I need you all to focus today" Bletchley told them all seriously.

" Really?" Goyle asked, " I thought you wanted us all to float around and hope Hufflepuff doesn't score"

Bletchley eyed him with such an angry look, it immediately silenced Goyle.

Bletchley regain his composure and then turned back to the team, " Look, you're all good players, and you're skilled, but you're also a bunch of cocky arrogant arses. I don't want you to lose this because you underestimate the Hufflepuff team. As a house, they may be a bunch of duffers, but they've got a good team. Watch out for Macmillian, he's a good keeper. And Tonks, he scores a lot"

Andromeda found herself focusing more at the mention of Tonks.

" Tonks?" Amycus asked, " the mudblood?"

Andromeda had to suppress the sudden urge she had to kick Amycus in the shins.

" He may be a Mudblood, but he's a hell of a chaser so watch out for him" Bletchley ordered.

He turned to individual players now and began giving personal advice.

" _Lestrange, Yaxley don't be shy with those Bludgers, smack them in the head if necessary"_

" _Hooch you find that Snitch when were ahead, got it?"_

" _Carrow, watch the right, Goyle the left. Black you score every time, got it?"_

Everyone nodded and took their brooms down from the rack. Andromeda clutched the handle tightly. She didn't like the minutes before the game. They were always so full with nerves. She'd rather be out there on the broom, where at least she could control what was happening. The team all gathered at the exit to the Pitch, and when they heard the first whistle, they all flew out in a staggered formation.

When they entered the pitch the crowd burst into loud cheers.

The entire school was crowded into the stands, and it looked like every teacher was present as well.

Andromeda looked to where the Slytherins were sitting and noticed that someone had enchanted a large firework serpent to hover around their section hissing fiercely.

Slughorn beamed down at his team from the teacher's stand.

Bellatrix was sitting with Narcissa and they were both holding a large sign that read

 _Andromeda Black their eyes_

Andromeda had to resist the urge to laugh. She gave them a thumbs up and flew up to where the rest of the team was. She lined herself up with the chasers from the other team and noticed Ted was on his broom in front of her. He looked different in his Quidditch robes, the yellow and black robes were pulled across his chest and they made him look fit.

Andromeda was surprised. She couldn't imagine Ted playing Quidditch. He didn't seem like the type.

He smiled, when she lined herself up in front of him.

The coach, Madam Firkes was flying towards them with the trunk full of balls.

Ted caught Andromeda's eye and winked.

She narrowed her eyes at him and he grinned wider.

" Alright Everyone" Madam Frikes said, " I want a nice, clean game" she said sternly. The players on both teams nodded.

Eyeing both team captains carefully, Madam Frikes opened the trunk and blew her whistle signalling the beginning of the game before releasing the balls.

Andromeda watched as the Quaffle was launched into the air and all six of the chasers dived for it at once. Amycus got there first. Andromeda rose higher in the air and sped forward. Ted was on Amycus' heel. Amycus caught Andromeda's eye and tossed the Quaffle up to her. No one was covering her, so she caught it and sped forward towards the goal posts, aiming all the way to the left of the Hufflepuff keeper. He hadn't been expecting her to have it, so they quaffle soared through the open hoop, and the Slytherin crowd cheered as the scored ten points.

" Good job, Black!" Bletchley called loudly as they lined up again.

This time, Hufflepuff got the Quaffle and Ted managed to score.

The game got heated really fast. Both the Hufflepuff and Slytherin chasers were scoring every other and play and on the last one Andromeda had caught the quaffle and raced towards the goalposts only to have the quaffle knocked out of her hands by Ted, while he scored.

He flashed her his crooked grin, and Andromeda pursed her lips angrily. The next play, when Ted had the quaffle, Andromeda snuck up behind him and kicked it out of his open arms, letting it fall into Goyle's hands, who tossed it back to Andromeda, who proceeded to score.

" So that's how you want to play it, huh Black?" Ted asked grinning widely.

Andromeda nodded, " That's how I always play it, Tonks"

Both now determined to beat the other, kept stealing the quaffle from the other and soon the game was becoming down to the two of them. Neither Rolanda, or the Hufflepuff seeker West had seen the snitch yet, so they game was really depending on the chasers.

Amycus had just scored another goal, when the quaffle was grabbed by Ted. Andromeda soared after him, and was soon right next to him near the middle of the field.

" You're not getting this quaffle" Ted said cockily as he soared forward.

" Oh yeah?" Andromeda asked, grabbing onto the end of his broom, and knocking the Quaffle out of his hands. Ted furious that he had let it out his arms, latched himself onto Andromeda's broom. The two were both speeding forward and their locked brooms made them spiral out of control and into one of the stands.

Thinking quickly, Andromeda tossed the Quaffle to Goyle, before both she and Ted slammed into the Ravenclaw stand and tumbled to the ground, a pile of emerald, yellow, and broom twigs.

Andromeda heard Goyle score before Madam Frikes blew the whistle and flew down to make sure Ted and Andromeda were okay.

Ted looked like he was slightly irritated but he was laughing. He got to his feet and helped Andromeda to her feet.

" You're one bloody insane bird!, you know that right?" he asked her.

Andromeda winked and got back onto her broom and into the air before Ted even had time to pick his up.

Bletchley gave her an appreciative look. He was thrilled, she had managed to pass the quaffle before she fell.

When both Andromeda and Ted were back in the air, Madam Frikes continued the game and the two team's chasers began speeding through the air again attempting to score. At one point, a bludger came so close to Andromeda's head, she felt it move her ponytail.

Rabastan, now furious, sent it flying at the Hufflepuff beater, and watched as it knocked him off his broom.

" You alright?" he asked her quickly.

" I'm fine" Andromeda assured him, and moved to the left, where Amycus was attempting to score. She blocked the Hufflepuff who was covering him and watched him score.

It was getting very close. The current score was Hufflepuff 70 Slytherin 80. The closeness of the scores was making both captains nervous.

Ted had just managed to slip past Andromeda and had scored, upping the Hufflepuff score.

The Hufflepuffs were in possession of the Quaffle again and Amelia Bones hurled it towards Ted. Andromeda, who had been flying right next to Ted, managed to fly in front of him and intercept it. She soared forward and managed to make it past the Hufflepuff keeper and score.

She turned up to look at Bletchley, but his face was now pale. So were most of the other players. Floating ten feet above the chasers, was a player clutching the snitch. It was a yellow player.

All of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor burst into loud cheers, and the atmosphere on the other side of the pitch grew very cold. Andromeda didn't have to turn around to know the expression on her housemate's faces. It was the expression any Slytherin got when they lost. It was pure loathing, twinged with the cold desire of regret.

Both the Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor players met in the middle of the field and shook hands. Bletchley looked like he would rather eat slugs than do it, but Slughorn was eyeing him in a way that suggested he better do it with a smile on his face.

Andromeda shook every player's hand. She kept a good sportsmanship look on her face. One that was considerably nicer than the look on any of the other Slytherin's faces. She shook Ted's hand and squeezed it roughly, in the hopes that it would wipe the smug smile off of his face, but the second he had Andromeda's hand, he squeezed back with just as much enthusiasm. His signature crooked smile playing on his lips.

The Slytherin team flew back to their changing table and took their time hanging up their brooms and things. Had they won, there would be a celebration in the Common Room, but since they lost, none of them fancied going back there right away and facing the rest of their house.

Andromeda took a change of clothes and left the Pitch, deciding to go to the Prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor. Whenever she lost, she like to go there and take a long shower, letting the hot water pour over her. This time she set the taps to make pink bubbles and took her time, letting the water loosen the knots in her muscles and wash all of the dirt off of her. When she was done, she changed quickly, and left her wet hair loose. She was just leaving the bathroom when she almost walked straight into Ted. He was still in his quidditch robes and was covered in a layer of sweat and dirt. Somehow though, he still managed to look like an ad for Quality Quidditch Supplies.

" Hey there, Andromeda" he said smiling widely.

Andromeda smiled, " Alright, go ahead." she said.

" Go ahead with what?" Ted asked. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, his smile still permanently plastered across his face.

Andromeda crossed her arms, " Go ahead with your Hufflepuff pride, look Muggleborns can beat Slytherins rant"

Ted nodded his head, " Well I think you learned enough about blood status for now" he said casually, still obviously amused from their win.

" That was some good flying you did today though" he told her, " even I was impressed"

Andromeda blinked at him, " Did you just compliment me on my talent?"

Ted rolled his eyes, " Don't get used to it, it will never happen again"

She rolled her eyes and walked past him towards the exit.

" And beaten by a group of Hufflepuff duffers?" Ted called loudly as she left, " Who would have thought?"

Andromeda flashed him the finger before disappearing around the corner, and she could still hear his howling laughter as she walked down the hallway.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N:

Lyra Lestrange 7: Thank you for your awesome reviews, they make my day :)

Karpowics: Glad you like the story! I can't get enough of Ted/ Andromeda :)

Chapter 6

Andromeda was having breakfast in the Great Hall with the rest of the Slytherins when a third year walked over to her with a box of velvet covered envelopes.

" Andromeda Black?" he asked.

She nodded and he handed her the envelope with her name on it. She immediately recognized the handwriting as her Head of House's and realized what it was. The first official Slug Club dinner of the year, and it was Wednesday night.

Andromeda had been in the Slug Club since first year, and it had meant that she had gone to about eight of these gatherings a year. She didn't mind them the way Bellatrix did, but they always were the same. Slughorn usually invited the same elite group of people. The only thing that changed was the guest or former student he invited to talk with them.

Andromeda watched as both her sisters, Regulus, the Lestranges, Malfoy, Elizabeth and Melina Zabini all got the envelopes as well. She turned and saw the envelopes being distributed at the other house tables too. Usually Slughorn invited the most people from Slytherin and a select few from the other houses. Slughorn was obsessed with having a collection of extremely successful former students and always chose the students who he thought had the best chance of being successful. That part terrified Andromeda. She had no idea what she wanted to do after Hogwarts, so the idea that Slughorn thought she was part of this group at all both excited and terrified her.

Alicia eyed the envelope in Andromeda's hands curiously.

" Another Slug Club meeting?" she asked in a voice much higher than her usual.

Andromeda nodded, and Alicia raised her eyebrows in a strange way. Andromeda sighed. Every year, she and Alicia went through the same thing. Whenever Andromeda got an invitation to any Slug Club event, Alicia would become slightly colder and more hostile towards her. Alicia had wanted an invitation for years and so far had never gotten one, a fact she loved to take out on Andromeda.

Andromeda mentally prepared herself for a few days of cold shoulder from her until the dinner was over.

Andromeda pocketed the envelope and decided to get an early start to Herbology. They were dissecting some very vicious flowered plants today and the set-up alone took a long time.

She wasn't the only one who had thought of this. When she opened the door to the warm greenhouses, there were already several people from her class attempting to set up their plants.

Andromeda smile at Professor Sprout and walked over to her station. She noticed Alfie was also there. She hadn't realized he sat at the table next to her. She wasn't very perceptive of the student's around her in class. She normally got so immersed in the lesson, she rarely noticed anything else.

" Hey Alfie" she said as she put on the protective dragon hide gloves.

" Oh hey Andromeda" he said smiling at her. His plant had turned a violent orange color and the flower was now spitting something at him.

" Do you want some help?" she asked him. Her plant was almost perfect, and he looked a little overwhelmed.

Andromeda walked over to the plant and took out her wand. She muttered a few counter charms and then took to plucking the weeds out of the base.

" You're good at this" Alfie pointed out as she plucked a thorn from the plant.

Andromeda shrugged, " I've just read a lot about them"

Alfie took in a deep breath and held one of the plant's stems out of the way, so that Andromeda could finish pulling out the weeds.

" You know I've seen you in the library a lot" Alfie told her "It's kind of odd, you know. Considering-"

" I'm an evil, malicious Slytherin?" Andromeda finished for him with a smile.

Alfie laughed, " Well I just meant Slytherin, you don't really see them in there often"

Andromeda couldn't help but think that he wasn't the first person to tell her that. They all made it sound like she was the only person with a serpent on their robes to ever set foot in the library. The other houses all had such a poor opinion of Slytherin. They overlooked the good parts.

" Well," Andromeda said plucking the final thorn, " I'm not the average Slytherin"

Alfie smiled at her, " That's what Ted said too"

Andromeda handed Alfie the tool to cut the stem and walked back to her own plant. She spent the entire Herbology period pulling large squishy, horrible smelling pods out of the stem and giving them to Professor Sprout. Apparently something in them, Madam Pompfrey used to cure acne, so that student's didn't have to resort to hexing it off.

The rest of the day was easy. In charms, they spent the whole period practicing nonverbal summoning charms and Andromeda had almost been smacked in the nose by the book she was summoning. Mafalda Hopkirk had actually snapped her wand in half, when they bottle she was summoning smacked into it.

The next few days passed easily and without incident. Andromeda focused on her schoolwork and patrolling. Quidditch practices were happening less often now that they didn't have a game for a while and it left her more time to get everything she need too done. She spent most nights, sitting in front of the fire of the common room. Lately, it had seemed like it was getting too cold down there for her. She was reading her worn copy of Hogwarts, A History when someone sat down next to her in the armchair beside her own.

" You look so focused when you're reading" Rabastan told her.

She looked up at him, she was wrapped in her Hogwarts jumper and her hair was tied in a knot on the top of her head. She was not really in the mood to talk with anyone, but she put a marker in the page and turned to to face him.

" Well most people do focus when they read" She told him.

He smiled at her, " You're quite the fiery one, aren't you Andromeda?"

Andromeda shook her head, " You're confusing me with Bellatrix. She's the spirited one."

" Well then which one are you?" Rabastan asked.

Andromeda sighed, " The obedient one, I guess" she told him.

It occurred to her then that that's what she had always been. Bellatrix had been the tough, headstrong sister. Narcissa was the pretty, girly one. And Andromeda had always been the obedient one. The one who listened to her parents and did what she was told. Thinking about it now, it seemed humorous. Andromeda, the good one was the only one of the Black sister's to question the moral and ethical decisions of her parents. Andromeda was the one who talked to muggleborns and felt empathy for them. Come to think of it, Andromeda had become more rebellious than even Bellatrix. The difference being she wasn't quite as open about it.

Rabastan shook his head, " I don't think so. I've seen you on the Quidditch Pitch, and you are downright terrifying there"

Andromeda smiled, " You're the one the carries the giant bat"

Rabastan stretched his arms over the chair and grinned. Andromeda found herself very confused.

She could never tell how Rabastan felt about her or what he was trying to do. He could be so confusing.

" Well, Goodnight then" Andromeda said picking her book and walking back to the sixth year dormitories. She hadn't planned on going to bed, but the idea of having to decipher all of Rabastan's comments for the rest of the evening terrified her. So she climbed into bed and closed the bed curtains, hoping that maybe if she pulled them tight enough, her problems would stay out too.

The night of the Slug Club dinner, Alicia hadn't spoken to Andromeda all day. Andromeda knew she shouldn't let it upset her, and that Alicia was just acting out of jealousy, but it still bothered her that one of her friends was acting colder to her. So, Andromeda had gone into the dormitory to get ready alone. She wore a green jumper and a black skirt. She always like to wear green when she went to any sort of school event. It was a sign of house pride. She liked to remind the rest of the school that not all Slytherins were as evil as they seemed to think.

She slipped her wand into her boot and quickly ran a brush through her hair.

The door to her dormitory opened and Andromeda turned around thinking maybe it was Alicia, who had come to talk to her. It wasn't. It was Narcissa.

" Andromeda?" she asked. She looked tiny and out of place in the sixth year dormitory.

" What's up, Cissy?" Andromeda asked her.

Narcissa was wearing a violet jumper that Andromeda recognized, she thought it may have been hers at one point.

" Can you help me with my hair?" she asked, " I want to french braid it, but I couldn't reach"

Andromeda nodded and took Narcissa's white blond hair into her hands and began to twist it.

" Are you excited for your first slug club meeting?" Andromeda asked her.

Narcissa shrugged, " Bella says they're really boring"

Andromeda shook her head, " Don't listen to her, Bella thinks everything is boring"

Narcissa giggled quietly, and it was comforting to Andromeda. She wasn't as close to Narcissa as she should be. Narcissa had always been more inclined to talk to Bellatrix than she did Andromeda. The only family member who ever sought advice from Andromeda was Sirius. Probably because they were both always slightly out of step with the rest of the Blacks.

She finished braiding Narcissa's hair and the two of them left the dormitory together and into the common room. Most of the House was just sitting around as only a few of them had been invited to the Slug Club dinner. Bellatrix was missing, she was either running late or already there. Seeing as Rodolphus was already gone, she assumed the latter.

Rabastan was standing near the entrance to the common room and smiled when he saw Andromeda.

" There you are" he said as the two Black sisters approached him, " I thought you might want to walk together"

" Yeah, Okay" Andromeda said. She felt Narcissa elbow her in the stomach. A small grin was plastered on the younger girl's face.

The three of them left the Common Room and walked down the hallways towards Slughorn's office.

" Slug Club dinners can be a little boring sometimes" Rabastan said, " but at least he always has good food, right?"

Andromeda nodded. She always loved the spread that Slughorn put out. He spared no expense when it came to the meetings, and that was usually why so many of his student's hoped to be invited.

" Oh I hope he has those delicious little apple tarts" Andromeda said happily. They had always been her favorite.

" I'll steal a few for you if I have too" Rabastan assured her.

Andromeda felt herself smile brightly, and the three of them approached Slughorn's door. A group of students from another house had appeared. Andromeda noticed that they were the Hufflepuffs. There were only three of them and Ted was among them.

He caught eyes with Andromeda and then his gaze fell to her sister and Rabastan. All of the Hufflepuffs seemed to have halted so that the Slytherins could walk first. No doubt out of fear. Only Ted looked slightly annoyed by this.

Rabastan placed his hand on her back and led her through the door and away from the Hufflepuffs. Andromeda could tell he didn't want to be near them, but she didn't have time to think about it, her heart was still racing from his hand on her back.

He kept there until Slughorn walked over and opened the door for them.

" Oh, Mr. Lestrange, and the two Ms. Blacks, Glad you could make it!" Slughorn said happily ushering them to the table where the other Slytherins sat.

His chambers looked the same as they usually did. There was a great table that was set up with several place settings and students were already all seated around. There seemed to be about thirty students there.

Andromeda was sat in between Rabastan and Regulus.

" Hey, Reg" Andromeda said. She hadn't seen much of her younger cousin since the year began. Despite being in the same house, he was always running around with some boy named Barty Crouch.

" Hello Andromeda" he said solemnly. He looked upset and was sitting on his hands.

" Everything okay?" she asked him.

He shrugged, " I fought with Sirius again"

Andromeda frowned. Ever since they were little Regulus and Sirius had fought constantly. Sirius was the rebellious one and Regulus was the one who listened to their mother. Andromeda suddenly understood the position that Regulus was in. She was in it herself.

" I'm sure you two will make up" Andromeda told him, " your brother's after all"

Regulus shrugged. Andromeda wanted to comfort him some more but at that moment Slughorn had waved the the plates of food in with his wand and they appeared in front of everyone.

Slughorn managed to chat happily with each of the students seated around the table, making sure to remind them all of their families and their connections.

" _Tell me, Rodolphus how is your uncle Balbus?"_

" _Zabini, does your father still vacation with the minister?"_

" _Vance, how is your sister still playing for the Harpies?"_

He turned to the side of the table where Andromeda and her sister's were all sitting.

" And the three Black daughters" Slughorn said with a chipper voice looking at all of them.

Andromeda and Bellatrix exchanged a look, and Bellatrix rolled her eyes slightly.

" Tell me," Slughorn pressed on, " how are your parents?"

Bellatrix offered him a fake smile, " They're wonderful, they asked me to say hello"

Slughorn looked downright pleased, " Well tell them I said hello as well, your father was one of the best blood replenishing potion brewers I ever had"

" He always speaks of you highly" Bellatrix told him, " You were his favorite teacher"

Slughorn was now grinning. He looked positively gleeful at her words. He turned back to the other side of the table.

" Ah yes, Mr. Tonks, your parents are muggles are they not?" Slughorn asked.

Andromeda found her glance, like everyone else's turned to Ted. Ted looked like he had expected the question.

" Yes, Sir." he said taking a sip from the pumpkin juice in front of him.

Bellatrix made a noise of disgust. Ted narrowed her eyes at her, but she had managed to make it sound enough like a cough that Slughorn hadn't noticed.

" So what exactly do they do in the muggle world?" Slughorn asked him.

Ted blinked and said, " Well my father is an accountant and my mother is a librarian"

Slughorn nodded, " Well that's nice".

Ted's answers obviously hadn't been what he was expecting. Slughorn didn't know very much about muggles or their professions.

The rest of dinner went by slowly. Slughorn mainly did all of the talking, probing questions from his pupils.

When the plates of dessert arrived, the conversations had mainly dissolved into individual groups. Andromeda felt a hand brush over hers and looked up to see Rabastan place an Apple tart in front of her.

She smiled at him and she saw the corners of his mouth upturn.

From across the table, Ted had coughed into into his pumpkin juice.

By the time that dinner ended, Andromeda had felt very exhausted. She had spent most of the night trying to cheer up Regulus, while still trying to keep a conversation with Rabastan. It was almost eleven before Slughorn ushered them all out of the room and the group of Slytherins made their way back to the common room.

" God that was a long one wasn't it?" Melina Zabini asked her.

Andromeda nodded. She didn't often talk to Melina. She was a pureblood fifth year, and when they were little she had been around there house for play dates but as she got older, Andromeda's mom had discouraged her from spending her time with her.

Melina had grown up to be very pretty and had a reputation for sleeping around. The Blacks had deemed her unsuitable to associate with their daughters.

Andromeda walked back to her dormitory and found that both Alicia and Emma were still awake sitting on Alicia's bed.

Andromeda walked over and sat down on the edge of it.

" How was the dinner?" Emma asked.

Andromeda sighed, " Boring as always, they're nothing special"

Her words seemed to brighten Alicia up a little and she moved her legs so that Andromeda could sit more comfortably on the bed.

" Well, did you get to talk to Rabastan at all?" Alicia asked her.

Andromeda smiled, " I did"

Alicia grinned, " Good, because I heard from Evan that he has been talking about you quite a lot lately"

Emma giggled and Andromeda smiled.

Part of Andromeda was excited that Rabastan was interested in her. He was someone that almost every girl in Slytherin wanted to be interested in them. He was a Pureblood from a very notable family. He was handsome and he played Quidditch. He was perfect. But some small part of Andromeda couldn't help but think, that she may prefer blonds.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N:

Lyra Lestrange 7: I cannot even begin to describe how much I love your reviews! And I completely agree, I think Ted realizes he likes Andromeda pretty early, while Andromeda takes much longer. I hope you like the story so far, and I can promise some juicy stuff is coming soon.

Chapter 7

The Friday, one week before Halloween was a momentous occasion for Andromeda Black. It was a day she had been waiting for for years. On this day, October 24th, Andromeda turned seventeen.

She woke up early and she felt a tremendous amount of joy as she realized what it meant. Now that she was seventeen, she was finally of age in the wizarding world. She could now learn to apparate and drink firewhiskey. It opened so many doors. Andromeda sat on her bed and noticed that there was a small pile of presents on her bed. She took the first package which was wrapped ornately in silver and emerald paper, and opened it. It was from her mother and father. It was an ornate necklace. The chain was thick and silver. It was shaped like a serpent and from it hung an emerald. Andromeda had remembered pointing it out in Borgin & Burkes during the summer before. She knew it was expensive and she made a note to remember to write them a thank you note for it when she got back to the dormitory that night.

She opened the rest of her parents and found that her Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion had given her an silver jewelry box, and her Uncle Alphard had given her set of leather bound books about Hippogriffs, something that the two had both talked about at length.

Bellatrix and Narcissa had both gotten her an extensive set of Witch Weekly's potions that were all dedicated to beauty. Andromeda eyed one carefully that claimed to allow the drinker to change their eye color at will for twelve hours.

Andromeda got dressed and slipped on the necklace her parents had given her. It complimented her robes nicely. She was alone in the dormitory so she walked into the common room and found it was crowded with most of the House.

" Happy Birthday, little sister" Bellatrix said coming over to her. Her lips were covered in a bright red lipstick that Andromeda knew her mother wouldn't have approved of.

" Happy Birthday!" Narcissa said coming over to them, " Did you like me and Bella's present?"

" I loved it, thank you" Andromeda told both of them. Narcissa smiled brightly. and her hugged her older sister around the waist.

" Happy Birthday!" Alicia said coming over to her. Emma was at her heels.

" Thanks, guys" Andromeda said happily.

" You're of age, now!" Alicia said happily, " our little Andromeda is growing up"

Emma smiled at her, " I can't wait to be of age, did you know you can order firewhiskey now and everything"

Andromeda laughed. She had never had firewhiskey before and doubted that she would start now, just because she could.

Alicia, Emma and Andromeda made there way to the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table.

Andromeda had only been sitting for a minute, and had already been wished Happy Birthday by several housemates. Bellatrix or Alicia must have been telling people because Andromeda never did. She didn't need any extra attention.

" Happy Birthday" Evan told her before sitting down next to Andromeda.

" Thanks Evan" she called back.

She ate breakfast quickly, and decided to get a head start to Transfiguration.

" Hey, Andromeda. Wait up a second" Rabastan called down the Hallway.

Andromeda stopped and he caught up with her.

" I didn't see you at Breakfast" Rabastan told her, " I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday"

Andromeda smiled, " Oh, thanks"

Rabastan reached into his robes and pulled out a box. He handed it to her.

" This is for you" he told her.

Andromeda blinked at him. She hadn't been expecting him to get her anything.

" Rabastan, you didn't have to get me anything" she told him.

He shook his head, " I wanted too. Open it"

Andromeda lifted the top of the box and in inside was a silver bracelet. It sparkled in the light.

" I can't accept this" Andromeda said quickly, " this is too much"

Rabastan shook his head and took it out of the box. He took her wrist gingerly and put the bracelet on her.

" See" he told her, " it looks perfect"

She smiled at him, " Well thank you for it" she told him.

He smiled back, " No problem, see you in potions" and he dashed off to his first period Charms class.

Andromeda walked to Transfiguration and found that now almost all of the class was there. She took her seat next to Hestia and listened as Professor McGonagall told them to continue on learning how to change the color of their hair.

Hestia and Andromeda waited until she sat down and then they turned to each other.

" So, I hear a Happy Birthday is in order" Hestia told her.

Andromeda stared at her, " How could you possibly know that?"

Hestia grinned, " Oh come on, one of the Black sisters coming of age? The whole school knows"

Andromeda sighed. The last thing she wanted was everyone looking at her. Bellatrix must have told everyone she knew.

" Remind me to kill Bellatrix" Andromeda said quietly.

Hestia burst into laughter, " As long as I can help"

Andromeda raised her wand to her head and muttered the spell. Even she was amazed when her own black hair transformed into a soft lilac.

"Very good. Ten points to Slytherin, Ms. Black" Professor McGonagall called from the front of the classroom.

" You know I kind of like this" Andromeda said looking into the hand mirror on the desk in front of her.

" What do you think?" she asked turning to Hestia, who was now sporting ginger hair.

" You look a bit like a mermaid" Hestia told her.

Andromeda smiled, " I like mermaids" she said running her hand through her new brightly colored tresses.

" That's an interesting necklace you've got there" Hestia pointed out, " It's like Slytherin house manifested in a necklace"

Andromeda laughed, " I think that may have been the point, It was a birthday present from my parents"

" Right" Hestia said nodding, " maybe if they force it down your throat enough, you'll stick with the Slytherin ideals"

Andromeda nodded, " Everything they've ever given me is silver or emerald. You should have seen the fit my mother threw when I came back from Diagon Alley with a scarlet jumper one Christmas"

Hestia laughed, " Brandish the color of Godric Gryffindor? How dare you?"

Andromeda laughed, " I know. How silly of me. Don't I know what those Gryffindors are?"

" All Showy, flashy, false bravado idiots," Hestia agreed, " much better you worship the evil slimy serpents"

Andromeda laughed again. Hestia was so energetic and funny that she always seemed to put Andromeda in a better mood.

" So speaking of Gryffindors" Hestia told her, " On Halloween, I'm throwing this huge party in Gryffindor tower and I'm inviting you"

" Really?" Andromeda asked, " a Slytherin in Gryffindor tower?"

Hestia nodded, " You'll probably be the first one ever in there, exciting huh? Anyway it's going to be really fun and you better come. Right after the feast. The password's 'Slytherin's suck.

" Charming" Andromeda pointed out.

Hestia only grinned, " Hey, most of them do"

Right before class ended, Professor McGonagall came around the tables and performed the counter charm on everyone's hair and Andromeda watched her hair turn black once more.

Andromeda left when the bell rang and headed to Care of Magical Creatures. They were working with nifflers today and Xenophilius had to help her restrain one of them who had leapt onto her chest and was attempting to pry her necklace from her chest.

By the time it was time for potions, she was ready to sit in the chilly dungeon classroom and brew something. They were working on Veritaserum today and when Andromeda walked into the classroom, she sat down next to Ted and took out their supplies.

" Happy Birthday" Ted told her when she sat down. All of the class was already there, seeing as most of their classes were closer to the Dungeons than the forest was.

" Thanks" Andromeda said as she added the lacewing flies to her cauldron.

" How does it feel to be seventeen?" Ted asked her.

Andromeda shrugged, " No different from being sixteen. Are you not seventeen yet?"

Ted shook his head, " My birthdays in March, I'm sixteen for a little while longer"

" Seventeen's not all that exciting, I promise" Andromeda told him, dropping crushed beetles into the cauldron. Her bracelet sparkled off of the flame.

" Was that a birthday present?' Ted asked her as he added the beetles to his own potion.

Andromeda nodded, " Yeah. Rabastan gave it to me"

A look Andromeda didn't recognize flashed across Ted's face, but a moment later it was gone.

" So are you two together then?" Ted asked casually.

Andromeda shook her head, " No"

" Okay" Ted said as he added the dragon blood to the potion. After another thirty minutes, Andromeda's potion was a clear, colorless mixture which meant it was done.

" Are you going to test it?" Ted asked her.

Andromeda shook her head, " Are you mad? Why would I take a truth telling potion in a room full of my classmates"

Ted laughed, " You're right, you may something human or nice. Or hell admit you don't actually hate muggleborns. What would the Slytherins think of you then?"

Andromeda narrowed her eyes at him and bottled some of the potion in a flask, before bringing it up to Slughorn's desk to turn it in.

The rest of the night passed by quickly. Andromeda sat through dinner, chatting happily with the her friends and then went with them to sit in the common room to celebrate.

Bellatrix had managed to get the house elves to make a cake for the occasion and so she, and the rest of the house sat on the floor, eating cake and chatting happily. Andromeda was actually enjoying it, but she looked down at her watch and realized it was five minutes to nine, and she needed to go patrol the fourth floor.

" I've got to go patrol" Andromeda said sadly, putting down her plate.

" But it's your birthday" Alicia said sadly, " just blow it off"

" Yeah" Rabastan agreed, " just have that mudblood do it by himself"

" Yeah, stay Andromeda. It's your birthday" Emma added.

Andromeda sighed, as much as she wanted to stay and celebrate. She couldn't.

" Slughorn would kill me" she told them, " It's only an hour I'll be fine"

Bellatrix frowned at her, " You're such a rule follower"

Andromeda shrugged and left the common room, heading to the fourth floor, where Ted was waiting for her.

" Hey" he said, " I didn't know if you were going to show up"

" Why wouldn't I show up?" Andromeda asked.

Ted shrugged as they started to walk, " It's your birthday, I don't know. I thought you might be celebrating our something"

" I was" Andromeda told him, " but I also have to patrol"

They walked forward down the hallway and rounded the first corner.

" I'm surprised you're Slytherin friends even managed to remember" Ted told her.

She gave him a look, " Come on, it's my birthday. No Slytherin hate tonight"

Ted frowned, " Fine, then at least open this" he said handing her a wrapped package.

Andromeda looked at what he was holding and took it, eyeing him with disbelief.

" You got me a present?" she asked him.

Ted nodded, " It's more of a present for me, seeing as I'm tired of your lack of knowledge about anything"

Andromeda furrowed her brow, now deeply curious as to what it contained and slipped the paper off of it.

It was a book. A muggle book from the look of it. It was titled ' A History of Television'. It even contained pictures. Andromeda flipped through it happily, curiosity growing as she read through it.

She laughed. It was funny.

" Thank you, Ted" She said smiling.

Ted shrugged, " I've i'm going to continue talking to you, you might as well learn a little something about muggles"

Andromeda flipped through the book while she walked, " This is quite inventive" she muttered stopping on a picture of a diagram of a tv.

" Muggles have had to be inventive" Ted told her, " they don't have magic to solve their problems"

" Magic doesn't solve every problem" Andromeda reminded him.

" Most of them" Ted told her.

" I guess that's true" Andromeda said as they walked.

The more she thought about, the more logical it seemed. Muggles had to find more creative solution to their problems than wizards did. They didn't have spells and charms to help them, they had to do it all on their own.

Andromeda found herself with a new respect for muggles.

This year, Halloween fell on a Saturday. And since most of the house was looking forward to the feast. Andromeda and Alicia had spent most of the day in the common room. Alicia had tried out a new nail polish potion and was now painting Andromeda's nails a shimmery silver, while Emma sat in the armchair next to them, buried in a copy of Witch Weekly.

" I like this color" Alicia said as she painted Andromeda's last nail.

" I do too, thanks" Andromeda told her. Alicia nodded and turned to her own nails, touching them up.

Andromeda found herself slightly bored. More then anything, she wanted to sit in her dormitory and read 'A history of television'. It had turned out to be fascinating and she couldn't put it down, but she had had to resort to putting the dust cover from her copy of ' A History of Magic' over it. If any of her fellow Slytherins had seen her reading a muggle book, it would have caused a fight. So instead, Andromeda sat with her friends in the common room until it was time for the feast.

The Halloween feast was such a momentous occasion at Hogwarts that the entire school was always in a cheerful mood. This year, the entire Great Hall had been decorated with giant jack-o-lanterns, spidery cob webs and skeletons.

Andromeda was extremely impressed with the decorations.

She sat down at the Slytherin table with the rest of her housemates and was amazed by the food around them. The largeness of Hogwart's celebrations never seemed to surprise her.

" You know, my house elf should take some tips from the hogwarts ones" Emma said biting into her lamb chop.

Andromeda took of bite of the pheasant on her plate and nodded in agreement. To her, nothing tasted better than the Hogwarts food.

At the end of the table, the first years were all touching their wands to the skeleton heads on the middle of the table. One of them had figured out if you did this that the head's would insult you, and now up and down the table, the skeletons were throwing insults at all of the Slytherin students.

Andromeda enjoyed the feast immensely. It was one of the times that the entire house was in a good mood.

When it ended, all of Slytherin went back to their common room to sit around the fire and hang out. Andromeda went to her dormitory and changed into jeans and a shirt. She had been trying to think of an excuse all day for why she would be disappearing tonight. Her housemates would not take to kindly to her going to a party in Gryffindor Tower. They all hated Gryffindors almost as much as they hated muggleborns. So Andromeda decided it would be better to lie.

She walked out of the dormitory and through the common room towards the exit.

" Hey Andromeda" Emma called, " Where are you going?"

Andromeda tried to feign a look of illness.

" I'm not feeling well" she lied, " I think I'm going to go up to the Hospital Wing"

She hoped Ema wouldn't notice that she had changed.

" Do you want me to go with you?" Emma asked.

Andromeda shook her head, " No don't worry about it, I might be a while"

Emma nodded and went back over to where Alicia, Evan, and Thomas were all sitting. Andromeda left the Common Room quickly and headed towards Gryffindor Tower. She kept throwing glances over her shoulder, making sure there was no one behind her.

There never was, so Andromeda walked up to the North Side of the castle where Gryffindor Tower was. She knew there common room was behind the painting of the Fat Lady so she stopped when she got to her.

The Fat Lady eyed her curiously, knowing she was not a Gryffindor.

" Slytherins suck" Andromeda told her.

" That's ironic" the Fat Lady told her. She obviously knew which house she belonged too.

" You know? I really hate it when they have parties" The Fat Lady complained before swinging open and allowing Andromeda to crawl through the portrait hole and into the common room.

Gryffindor's common room was the opposite of Slytherin's in every way. It was warm and crowded, full of comfy armchairs and rugs. The whole room had a permanently warm glow from the scarlet that adorned the walls.

Andromeda noticed that it was crowded. It seemed as if every Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff older than third year was shoved into the common room.

Loud music was blasting through the room and everyone was clutching red cups.

" ANDROMEDA YOU MADE IT!" Hestia yelled happily throwing her arms around Andromeda's neck.

Andromeda nodded, " Lied to my whole house and everything"

" Congratulations" Hestia said proudly, " come on, let's go bring you over to my people"

Hestia wrapped her arm around Andromeda's shoulders and led her over to a corner of the room where several people were sitting on the couch. Emmeline Vance was sitting with Otto Bagman, and Xenophilius Lovegood, and next to them was Alfie, and Ted.

" You invited a Slytherin, Hestia?" Xeno asked in surprise.

" Oh hush" Hestia ordered him, " Andromeda's barely a Slytherin"

She turned behind her and handed her a cup, " Here, enjoy!" she told her before dashing off to the front of the room.

Andromeda sat down on the arm of the couch and sniffed the cup. It smelled strongly of something she didn't recognize.

" It's firewhiskey" Ted told her from next to her. He had a cup in his hand too.

" I've never had it before" Andromeda admitted sheepishly.

" The it's probably a little strong for you" Ted said, " I'll get you a butterbeer or something" he said attempting to take it from her.

Andromeda's stubborn side kicked in and she pulled the drink back from him taking a large sip. The liquid burned her throat on the way down and she had to suppress the urge to burst into a fit of coughing.

" See" Andromeda said through clenched teeth, " you don't know everything about me, Ted"

Ted only grinned, " Yeah well you say that after one sip, let's see how you do after that"

Andromeda, now determined to prove him wrong, took another large sip from the cup. It still burned but not as badly as the first one.

Ted only laughed, " It's your funeral, Andromeda"

Andromeda rolled her eyes at him.

" You two sure know how to have fun at a party" Alfie commented sarcastically from beside them.

Andromeda flashed him a smile. Alfie, was the nicer version of Ted. And seeing as he didn't pry into her life, she much preferred his company.

" Andromeda doesn't know how to have fun" Ted told him.

Andromeda frowned and raised her cup back to her lips, almost emptying the contents.

" That's not true" she said, " I have plenty of fun"

Ted raised his eyebrow at her.

" Need a refill?" Hestia asked refilling her cup with firewhiskey again.

Andromeda smiled and took another large sip, " Thanks, Hestia"

She was starting to feel slightly buzzed. The effects of the firewhiskey.

She turned back to Ted, " I'll have you know, I'm very fun"

" Oh, yeah" Ted asked her, " Prove it"

Andromeda smiled and handed him her drink, " Hold this for me?" she asked and walked over to the middle of the Common Room where a bunch of people were gathered around dancing.

Maxim Wood, the current head boy was standing next to the floor looking like he wanted to join in, but was holding back.

" You want to dance?" she asked him.

She could still see Ted watching her from the couch.

Maxim nodded and the two walked over and started dancing to the fast paced song. Andromeda recognized it, it was called ' Goblin groove' or something like that. Bellatrix loved it because it was so loud.

Andromeda spun around Maxim and danced against him. Her head was spinning a little and she felt slightly dazed. She knew this had to be effects of the firewhiskey, but she wasn't complaining. It made her feel freer.

Ted got up from the couch and walked over to them. Andromeda said goodbye to Maxim and walked over to him, taking her drink from his hand and finishing it.

" See?" she said told him, " I can be fun"

" Consider me officially proven wrong" Ted told her. Someone danced by him and knocked him forward into Andromeda. They were inches from each other.

" Wanna dance?" she asked him. It was the buzz from her firewhiskey talking now. Andromeda realized she had had a lot. She had to be drunk now.

Ted nodded and took her hand spinning her around to the now fast paced song. Andromeda gave into her buzz entirely, deciding for once to not care. She danced against Ted and spun around wildly, feeling better than she had in awhile. It was probably where she was. Outside of the view from any Slytherins, Andromeda didn't have to worry about what anyone thought of her or what she did.

" Hey, Andromeda! You're here" Sirius said spotting her. He had a blonde girl under his arm.

Andromeda waved to him, and stumbled forward. The room was spinning slightly now.

Ted caught her by the elbow and steadied her, " Come on, I think you're done dancing"

" But why? it's fun" Andromeda asked in her now drunken slur.

" Because you're tossed, Dromeda" Ted told her, leading her to the couch.

" What did you just call me?" she asked. Seeing as she was so drunk, it came out more slurred than she intended.

" Your name" he told her sitting her down next to Emmeline.

" Nope" she said drunkenly, " you called my Dromeda, and my name's Andromeda. You left off the An"

Ted rolled his eyes at her. It was strange for him to see her like this. She was always so together. So caged. Seeing her now, acting so loosely and freely, was entertaining.

Hestia had walked over at this point, " How are we all doing?" she asked happily.

Ted raised his eyebrow at her, " Andromeda is drunk off her arse"

" No im not" Andromeda said all as one word, only further proving Ted's point.

Hestia burst into laughter, and clutched her chest, " Good for her, I knew she needed a little loosening up"

Andromeda blinked, the room was starting to spin, and it looked as if there were three Hestia's in front of her. She blinked again and it didn't stop. Her eyelids dropped closed and she passed out.

Andromeda woke up the next morning to sunlight pouring into the room. She rubbed her eyes extremely confused. The Slytherin dormitories were underground, how was their sunlight? She opened her eyes and realized she was in a scarlet room, and not her own dormitory. She was on a couch. She tried to sit up and stopped. Her head was pounding. She clutched at it and moaned, sitting up more slowly. She was on a couch in the Gryffindor common room. She looked next to her and almost jumped. Ted was sitting next to her on the couch, leaning against the other side fast asleep.

Andromeda rubbed her eyes again, and she looked up to see Hestia coming down the stairs.

" So you're up" she said sitting down in the armchair across from her.

Andromeda nodded and clutched her head.

" How are you feeling?" Hestia asked.

" Horrible" Andromeda said. Her head was pounding and all of her limbs felt extremely heavy like they were made of cement.

Hestia laughed, " You're hungover"

Hestia's laugh had woken Ted up. His eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, running his hand through his hair.

" Nice of you to join us" Hestia told him.

" Oh be quiet, Jones" Ted said sleepily.

" Why am I in here?" Andromeda asked burying her face in her hands.

Hestia laughed and looked at Ted, " Well" she said still giggling, " you got really drunk last night and passed out and we were going to bring you back to your dormitory but there were no Slytherins here and no one knew where the Common Room was or the password, so-"

Andromeda groaned. The events of last night had come back to her and she realized she had gotten drunk in Gryffindor party.

" Did you pass out too?" she asked Ted.

Ted laughed and shook his head, " No, I wasn't drunk"

Hestia laughed, " No, young Mr. Tonks here, stayed here last night to make sure you didn't get hexed"

" Because Hestia was too lazy to do it" Ted said, eyeing Hestia.

" Why would I get hexed?" Andromeda asked.

Hestia raised her eyebrow and looked at Ted. They exchanged a look.

" What?" Andromeda asked. There was nothing more she hated then being left out of the loop.

" Well I mean you're a Slytherin in Gryffindor Tower" Hestia said.

Andromeda's mouth fell open, " So you're telling me that a Gryffindor would have hexed a sleeping Slytherin girl just for being in their common room?"

Hestia nodded, " Well yeah, I mean if the situation were in reverse, what would the Slytherins have done"

Andromeda frowned, she knew Hestia was right. They would have hexed them too, but it was concerning to think that the two houses could be that immature.

Hestia shrugged, " Now you two get out of my common room, I don't really fancy having to explain to Professor McGonagall why you're in here"

" Always such a ray of sunshine, Hestia" Ted told her, getting to his feet. Andromeda followed him and they left the Gryffindor Common Room.

" Did I make a huge fool of myself last night?" Andromeda asked, " I can't remember all that much of it"

Ted laughed and shook his head, " No you were fine, Promise"

Andromeda smiled as they walked further down the castle.

" Well, thank you for keeping me from being hexed" she told him, " I appreciate it"

And she did. Sometimes Andromeda forgot that she was a Slytherin and forgot how the other houses viewed her.

" It wasn't a big deal" Ted told her, " that's what friends are for"

Andromeda smiled thinking how strange it was that she was friends with a muggleborn. She never could have imagined this.

A collection of people walked into the hallway, ready to enjoy their sunday morning. Ted and Andromeda separated, knowing that they couldn't talk together in public.

Sighing, Andromeda made her way back to the common room, irritated that she couldn't even be in public with a friend.

Last night had shown her how easy it was when you didn't always have to worry about her how other people perceived you. She had loved it.

She walked into the common room and found her friends sitting on the couch with Rabastan, Evan, and Thomas.

" There you are" Alicia said, " we were worried when you didn't come back last night"

Andromeda shrugged, " Sorry, I decided to stay the night at the Hospital Wing. I think I had a stomach bug or something" she said sitting down at the table.

" Thats rotten" Emma said apologetically.

" Uh, huh" Andromeda said staring at the exit to the Common Room.

She had seen what life outside of Slytherin was like, and as much as she hated to admit it,

She liked it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As November ended and December began, the castle was covered in a blanket of snow. It looked like a picturesque Christmas castle and Andromeda couldn't help but love the love of it. It looked so pretty like this. The only drawback was it was freezing outside. Andromeda had to clutch her robes around her tightly and wear two of her Slytherin scarves every time she had a Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures lesson. Her cheeks were permanently pink from the wind, and she never left the common room without a jacket.

The workload had also increased dramatically, and so now the library was filled with students and Andromeda had to get there early to make sure she always got a table. And even still, she sometimes had to share it with the Ravenclaws.

The only good part of the winter was how beautifully the castle was decorated. Across every archway, was garland, and every corners had a Christmas tree. Every corner you rounded was decorated with some sort of cheerful christmas tradition. But the reminder of Christmas, reminded Andromeda that soon she would going to back to Black Manor.

It wasn't that Andromeda didn't like going home, but whenever she did she was constantly chastised by her mother. She sighed knowing that this was unavoidable, and she wouldn't think about it until she had to get on the Hogwarts Express.

Andromeda was walking back to the common room from the library one night when she heard something in an open classroom. She was on the third floor and she had been so tired from the hours she had spent reading through her textbooks, she almost hadn't heard it, but she definitely had. It was a crash and she thought she heard a scream.

She walked quickly to the classroom and dropped her books when she saw what was waiting for here in there.

Three Slytherin boys and one girl, all in fourth year had their wands pointed at two first years. They were both muggleborn and they had cuts and scratches all over their faces, evidence from the hexes they had endured. The two of them looked terrified.

Anger rose in Andromeda.

" What the hell do you think you're doing?" Andromeda demanded of the Slytherins, her hands on her hips.

The three of them looked up at her and lowered their wands, a quick look of fear on their faces. Andromeda was older than them and a Black. They respected her, and feared her.

" We were hexing mudbloods" the girl said bravely.

" Are you bloody insane?" Andromeda asked her, " or just completely vile?"

She shook her head angrily, " Get out of here, now" she ordered them angrily.

" But-" one of the boys started.

" NOW" Andromeda ordered angrily, and walked over to the muggleborns who were crouched in the corner. She helped them to their feet and the four Slytherins scowled and left the room.

" Are you both okay?" Andromeda asked the girls helping them to their feet.

They nodded weakly, still looking terrified.

" Let's bring you to the Hospital wing, okay?" Andromeda told them. They nodded and followed her to the Hospital wing.

" Your Narcissa Black's sister right?" one of them asked her.

Andromeda nodded. The girl looked confused but didn't say anything. Andromeda walked them to the Hospital wing and made sure they went it. She left after Madam Pompfrey started looking after them. They were safe with her, so Andromeda made her way back to the Slytherin common room, not realizing the trouble she had caused for herself.

" Andromeda" Bellatrix said harshly the next evening after dinner, " I need to talk to you. Now."

Andromeda had been sitting on a couch in the Common Room with her friends when Bellatrix had stormed over, wearing an expression of anger.

Andromeda looked at the expression on her face and followed her out of the Common Room without question, she didn't argue with Bellatrix when she was mad.

" What's wrong, Bella?" Andromeda asked when they were standing outside of the common room.

Bellatrix looked enraged, " Why are people telling me that my little sister stopped some fourth year Slytherins from hexing a pair of mudbloods yesterday?" she demanded.

Andromeda felt her eyes widen. She hadn't thought of how mad Bellatrix would be if she had found out about it. She had just reacted in the moment.

" Do you have any idea how this makes us look, Andromeda?" Bellatrix demanded.

Andromeda shook her head. She hated when Bella scolded her like this.

" Like a bunch of bloody bloodtraitors that's what!" Bellatrix shouted so loudly at Andromeda, that she flinched thinking Bella might slap her.

Bellatrix sighed, " What were you thinking Andromeda? It's like sometimes you aren't even a Black. Narcissa would have known better than that and she's a first year!"

Andromeda recoiled at Bellatrix's words. She already felt enough like she wasn't a Black without Bellatrix reminding her.

" You need to sort out your priorities" Bellatrix snapped at her and disappeared back into the Common Room.

Andromeda was left in the hallway feeling raw. Bellatrix had just vocalized everything she had been feeling for months and it was becoming too much for her. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and she didn't want to cry here. Even though she didn't have to patrol for another fifteen minutes, she went up to the fourth floor and sat down, leaning against the wall.

She felt horrible. She was stuck in this middle ground between wanting to make her family proud and not giving a damn what they said and it was making her crazy. She didn't want to disappoint them, that had always been her biggest fear, and now here she was. She let the tears pour down her face.

" Andromeda?" Ted asked walking down the hallway. He was ten minutes early and Andromeda wished she had gone anywhere other than here. Ted was the last person she wanted to be crying in front of.

" Andromeda, what's wrong?" he asked crouching down next to her.

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes, " Nothing".

Ted gave her a reproachful look and sat down, " Tell me"

Andromeda bit her lip as more tears began to fall down her face. She couldn't stop them and she wasn't even trying to anymore. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, crying hard.

" Im...disappointing...everyone" she sniffed, " I ...can't..do...anything...right...I'm...a...bad...Slytherin..

..and...Bella's….mad...at...me" she sobbed and buried her head on her knees.

" You're not a disappointment" Ted told her sternly, " honestly Andromeda, no one can call you a disappointment. You're about as far from that as it gets. And as for being a bad Slytherin? Who cares. If being a good person, means you're a bad Slytherin, then I say embrace it. You're one of the only ones giving Slytherin a good name"

Andromeda looked up at him and sniffed, wiping her eyes on the sleeves of her robes.

" Now" Ted said looking at her, " Is Bellatrix mad about you saved those muggleborns?" he asked her.

Andromeda nodded and tears fell from her eyes.

" Because all of Hufflepuff heard about that" Ted told her, " and they were _impressed_ with you. I heard Macmillan actually say 'maybe all Slytherins aren't bad', and me? I thought it was extremely brave of you. Who gives a damn what Bellatrix thinks of you?"

Andromeda sniffed quietly again, " I don't want her to hate me, she's my sister."

Ted hesitated and then wrapped an arm around Andromeda's shoulder.

" She doesn't hate you" he told her. Andromeda let her head drop on Ted's shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut.

" I'm sorry for unloading all of this on you" she said after a minute, leaning back up and wiping her eyes. Ted moved his arm and shook his head, " You weren't".

He got to his feet and helped her up. Andromeda hesitated for a second, and then hugged him. Ted was slightly shocked, but hugged her back.

They broke apart and Andromeda wiped her eyes, " Thank you"

Ted nodded and they walked off finishing their patrols.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As Christmas and winter break approached quickly, most of the Hogwarts students prepared for the winter holidays. Andromeda wasn't looking forward to going this home year. She was too confused about everything she had ever been told to go home and pretend that everything was fine. So she spent most of her time immersed in schoolwork. One morning in the Great Hall , a few days before term ended for the winter holidays, Andromeda and all of the other Slug Club members got an envelope containing an invitation to Slughorn's famous Christmas party. It was taking place the night before everyone left for Winter break, and it was formal. The most challenging part of it was not the attire, but that they were meant to bring someone. Andromeda's chest constricted as she read that. She had enough going on right now without worrying about who she would go with to Slughorn's party.

She left the Great Hall, walking back to the common room.

Bellatrix and Rodolphus were sitting in the same armchair and Rabastan was sitting in the one next to them. Andromeda sat down across from them.

" So I see you got your invitation to Slughorn's party" Rabastan said pointing to the envelope in her hand.

Andromeda nodded, " Unfortunately"

Rabastan snickered, " Not looking forward to it?"

Andromeda shrugged, " I don't know, It just seems like another thing to worry about"

" Well" Rabastan said, " We could go together, that might make it more fun"

Andromeda looked up at him in disbelief. Rabastan had just asked her to go with him.

" Okay" she said quickly.

Rabastan smiled, " Great"

Bellatrix caught Andromeda's eye and smiled encouragingly.

Andromeda felt a strange feeling in her stomach and she couldn't quite tell what it was.

A few nights later on the night of the Slug Club Christmas party, everyone was talking about it. Those who were going, kept bringing it up to feel special and those who weren't were constantly asking questions to those who were. Andromeda wasn't really looking forward to it all that much. She had been before, and it wasn't very exciting. Everyone just kind of stood around talking to some of Slughorn's more famous ex pupils.

But she was expected to go. So, an hour before it started she went upstairs and took out the makeup Bellatrix had given her. She didn't often wear makeup, so putting it on felt strange.

Andromeda's mother had sent her dress for the party, it was one she always like Andromeda to wear. It was emerald and long sleeved, it was made of a thin satin and flared just above her knees. It screamed Slytherin, which was probably why her mother liked it so much. Andromeda slipped on her small black heels and looked in the mirror near her bed. She looked fine. That was about as good as it was going to get, so she walked out into the common room. Bellatrix was standing with Rodolphus in a very tight black dress. She had all of her hair piled onto the top of her head in an updo.

Rabastan was waiting for her next to them. He was wearing dress robes, with a green tie. He looked nice.

" Were matching" he pointed out.

Andromeda smiled, they were. Thats what happened when you were both patriotic to your house.

The four of them walked out of the common room and towards Slughorn's chambers. The hallway was crowded with students dressed for the occasion. Andromeda noticed Hestia was walking with a Gryffindor boy she didn't notice. Hestia looked like she wanted to wave, but caught Bellatrix's eye and scowled.

Rabastan walked a little ahead and opened the door for Andromeda and her sister. She followed in after him and was amazed at how nice Slughorn's chambers looked. He had bewitched curtains to hang from the ceiling, decorating the room and creating a more cozy environment.

Slughorn was at the far side of the room, talking enthusiastically with some of his former students, so they walked over to the drink cart. Rabastan took two glasses and filled them with champagne, offering one to her. She took it gratefully, and took a sip.

She observed the room, looking at all of the people in it. Seeing as everyone had brought dates, there was double the usual amount of people that were there. Andromeda spotted Ted in the corner standing with his date. A blonde girl with curly hair. Charity Burbage. She was in Hufflepuff with him. Andromeda felt a strange upsurge of anger as she looked at Charity. She caught Ted's eye and he offered her a small smile. She didn't return it. She was angry and she didn't know why, so she turned back to Rabastan.

" Quite the turnout, huh?" Rabastan asked her, looking at all of the people in the room.

" Yup" Andromeda said looking past him to where Ted and Charity were standing.

She shook her head, she had to stop looking at them. She and Rabastan walked around the room, talking with a few of Slughorn's former students and their current classmates.

When they got to where Slughorn was standing he pulled them over right away and introduced them to the woman in front of them. She had long light brown hair, and was tall.

" Winnie Deidren, captain of the Chudley Cannons" Slughorn said, " these are two of my Slytherin Quidditch players, Mr. Lestrange, and Ms. Black. Winnie, you should have seen how Andromeda flew in the last match, she'd have given you a run for your money at your age"

Andromeda beamed at her professor, happy to accept any compliment.

" Is that so?" Winnie asked Andromeda, " well in that case, you give me a call when you graduate and we'll see if we can get you a try out"

" Really?" Andromeda asked in disbelief.

Winnie nodded, " If you're really as great as Professor Slughorn says then definitely, I'd be happy to help out a fellow slug club member"

" Great" Andromeda said happily, as Winnie left to refill her drink. Andromeda had no idea what she wanted to do after Hogwarts, so even having this one prospect was comforting to her.

" I'll be back" Rabastan said to Andromeda, " I'm going to go talk to my brother"

Andromeda nodded and watched as he left.

She turned to go refill her own drink when she saw that Ted and Charity were standing there. Ted looked up and saw her looking. He frowned at her.

Andromeda rolled her eyes, suddenly furious with him, and stomped off. She didn't know why he was making her so angry, but he was. She walked out of Slughorn's chambers and down the hall. One of the unused classrooms was open so she walked in and sat down, leaning against the desk.

She sat stewing angrily for a minute, before the door opened.

" Andromeda? Are you in here?" a voice called from the doorway.

She looked up to see Ted standing in the doorway. His yellow tie was loose around his neck and he had his hands in his dress robes.

" There you are" he said coming down and sitting beside her.

Andromeda looked pointedly away from him and he frowned again.

" Why are you mad at me?" he asked her, " did I do something that I'm not aware of?"

" No" Andromeda said crossing her arms.

Ted stared at her, " Then why do you keep throwing me death stares all night?"

She shrugged. She wished she had an answer for him, but she didn't. Even she didn't know why she was mad at him.

" You're the most confusing person I have ever met" Ted said shaking his head.

" Just add that to the list then" Andromeda snapped at him. She could feel her anger towards him bubbling up and it was starting to spill out.

" What list?" Ted asked her. He looked exceptionally confused. His blue eyes sparkled as he tried to piece together what she was saying.

" The list of things about me that bother you" Andromeda said angrily, " You know my house, my family, my lack of muggle knowledge, the fact that I'm not fun"

She was even more irritated now. She just stared forward, purposefully not looking at Ted.

" I don't have a list, Andromeda" Ted told her, " I don't dislike anything about you"

Andromeda frowned at him, " and you brought Charity. I'm mad about that too"

" You don't like Charity?" Ted asked, " I thought she was nice"

" I don't like her" Andromeda said quickly and she couldn't figure out why. The day before she hadn't thought much about about Charity, but now she felt a strange hatred for her.

" Well you brought Rabastan" Ted pointed out, crossing his arms indignantly.

" Whats wrong with Rabastan" Andromeda demanded. She hadn't known that Ted had an issue with him.

" I don't like him" Ted told her.

They sat eyeing each other angrily for a moment, before Andromeda turned away.

" I didn't know you didn't like Rabastan" she said quietly.

Ted shrugged, " I didn't know you didn't like Charity" he told her, " we're just friends. I only asked her because I couldn't ask who I really wanted too"

Andromeda turned to him about to ask him who he had really wanted to ask, but she was cut off.

Ted had grabbed her face and pulled her lips to his. He wasn't sure why he had done it. He didn't know he was going to. It had just happened, and it felt right.

Andromeda was caught off guard. It took her a moment to realize what was going on, but once she did, she kissed him back with a strange enthusiasm. Ted's hand was holding her face to his.

Then she remembered what she was doing and pulled away instantly, shocked with herself.

Ted started at her with a strange expression, trying to read her face.

" I can't do this" she said quietly.

Ted's eyes widened and his voice cracked slightly, " I'm sorry. I thought you wanted me too. I thought-"

Andromeda's head and heart was racing. She didn't wait for him to finish. She got to her feet quickly and ran from the room, leaving Ted behind her.

She didn't go back to the party. She went straight to the common room. She felt herself start to cry and she didn't know why. Her mind wouldn't stop. She had just kissed Ted. She had just kissed a muggleborn. And she had enjoyed it, she had wanted him to do it.

She shook her head. She didn't like Ted. He was a muggleborn. She liked Rabastan. She had to like Rabastan.

Andromeda took off her shoes and entered the Slytherin common room, feeling emotionally exhausted. The other girls were asleep so she changed her clothes quickly and crawled into bed, feeling extremely sorry for herself.

The next morning Andromeda tried desperately to convince herself that the night before did not happened, but she was unsuccessful. She remembered every detail. Sighing, she got out of bed and changed into her clothes for the day. At least she was leaving for winter holiday today. She could escape the castle for the next few weeks and try to pretend that nothing had happened. She had packet her bag the night before and slung it over her shoulder as she walked into the common room.

Rabastan was talking to Erasmus and he stopped when he saw Andromeda come downstairs.

He walked over to her, " Hey" he said smiling happily, " I lost you last night"

Andromeda frowned, " Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I wasn't feeling well. I shouldn't have left like that"

Rabastan shook his head, " Don't worry about it, do you want me to carry your bag?"

Andromeda was shocked. She was sure he was going to be mad at her for leaving him last night. She didn't understand why he was being so helpful.

" Oh, um. You don't have too" Andromeda told him. Rabastan shook his head and slung it over his shoulder anyway. He and Andromeda walked out of the castle and towards the Hogsmeade station. Most of the other Hogwarts students who were going home for the winter holidays were already all walking down to the Hogsmeade station.

" Are you excited to be going home?" Rabastan asked her.

Andromeda shrugged, " I'm excited to get out of the castle for a little bit, I don't know if I'm ready to go back to the overbearing nature of Druella Black"

Rabastan laughed, "Trust me, I understand. Lydia Lestrange is just as overbearing"

Andromeda smiled as the walked towards the station, " Your mom is nice"

Rabastan laughed, " Well to you, she adores you"

Andromeda felt herself blush. She had always liked the Lestrange's mother, but she never knew she also liked her.

" Are you coming to the famous Lestrange Christmas Eve party?" Rabastan asked.

" Of course, we always go" Andromeda told him.

The Lestranges had a huge Christmas Eve party for all of the Purebloods every year. And every year, the entire Black family went. There wasn't a year since Andromeda was born that she hadn't gone to that party.

Rabastan and Andromeda approached the station and found the rest of their Slytherin friends.

" There you two, are" Bellatrix said eyeing Rabastan and Andromeda as they approached them on the station.

She looked to Rabastan's shoulder and saw the bag he was holding. Andromeda knew Bellatrix recognized it because of the look she gave her. It was a look Andromeda almost never got from Bellatrix. She looked proud of her.

" Let's go find a compartment" Bellatrix said two the rest of them, " I don't want to end up with one of those tiny ones, let's save those for the mudbloods"

Rabastan, Rodolphus and Andromeda followed Bellatrix onto the train and found a large compartment.

As the train filled up, Evan, Emma, Alicia, and Erasmus joined them. The train started to move and Andromeda let herself look out the window. So much had changed since she was on the Hogwarts express the last time. She felt like a different person.

Rabastan was sitting so close to her, it felt like they were pressed against each other.

" You know," Evan said, " I'm still angry that we lost to Hufflepuff"

Rabastan sighed, " It was a tough game"

Evan frowned, " Still, I hate the look on the Hufflepuff's faces"

Rabastan shrugged, " I hated it too, but we did the best we could. and Andromeda here flew like a champ" he said throwing his arm around Andromeda.

Alicia looked at Andromeda and smiled widely. She knew what she was thinking.

" I did okay" Andromeda said quietly.

He rolled his eyes at her, but Rabastan had kept his arm slung over Andromeda. They sat like that for awhile. Andromeda was mostly quiet. There was too much going on in her head for her to be able to chat happily with the rest of them.

About halfway through the train ride, Andromeda was hungry and decided to go find the Honeyduke's cart. She closed the door to the compartment and walked down the train to where the witch was.

" One box of sugar quills, please" someone said to the witch. She bent down to get down them and Andromeda realized it was Ted who asked for them. He looked up and saw her standing there. His expression softened and he opened his mouth to say something to her. Andromeda didn't wait, she just turned on her heels and left, walking back to the compartment.

" You didn't find her?" Rabastan asked.

" It was crowded" Andromeda lied.

Looking at Ted had confused her. She was furious with him again. Furious with him for kissing her and furious with herself for enjoying it. She couldn't like Ted. But when she stood there and looked at his sandy brown hair and his muscular build, she had the desire for him to kiss her again, and that made her even more mad.

She spent the rest of the train ride sitting quietly, stewing angrily. How was a muggleborn affecting her like this. She was a Black.

She was quiet the whole rest of the ride. When the train pulled into the station and stopped, everyone got to their feet. Bellatrix grabbed Andromeda by the arm and pulled her off the train excitedly. Bellatrix loved going home for Christmas. Probably because their parents fawned over her.

Andromeda followed her sister off of the train with the Lestrange brothers at their heels. All of the students were gathering around and looking for their parents.

Andromeda scanned the crowd and noticed her mother standing next to her aunt. She and Bellatrix walked over to them. Narcissa was already standing there proudly.

" Girls" Druella said happily. She ran her hands down Bellatrix's face and pinched Andromeda's cheek.

" Don't you too look lovely as ever" their aunt Walburga told them, hugging them both.

Regulus and Sirius walked over to their mother and she greeted Regulus warmly, and gave Sirius a harsh nod.

Andromeda let her gaze wander and she saw Hestia with her parents, both of which had the same tall figures and blond hair.

She looked past her and saw Ted's family. They were easy to spot. They were dressed in muggle clothes and were looking around the platform with excited glances. He had a little sister too. She was young, about six and she watched as he reached down and hugged her.

" What are you looking at, Andromeda?" Aunt Walburga asked her.

Andromeda focused herself again, " Oh nothing"

Aunt Walburga followed her gaze and scoffed, " Muggles. Actual muggles, I can't believe they let them in here"

Andromeda had to physically hold her mouth shut to keep from commenting.

" Hey, Andromeda" Rabastan said walking over to her, " you forgot your bag"

" Oh right" Andromeda said taking it from him, " thank you"

Rabastan smiled at her widely, " Don't worry about it" he said.

All of the Black's were now watching the two of them. Andromeda could practically feel her Aunt Walburga's eyes burning into her skull.

" Hello Rabastan" Druella said smiling at the young boy.

" Hello Mrs. Black" Rabastan said smiling at her.

" How was your term?" she asked him.

He grinned, " It was great, right Andromeda?"

She nodded, " Yeah it was"

Druella beamed.

" I should go" Rabastan said, " But I'll see you at the party, Andromeda" he said and squeezed her shoulder.

Rabastan disappeared to his family and the moment he was gone, all of then women around Andromeda all began talking very excitedly.

" Andromeda, why didn't you tell us that boy is practically chasing after you!" her mother said excitedly.

" Another Lestrange, you girls sure have taste" Aunt Walburga told her.

" You should have seen them this year, Mother" Narcissa said, " he does everything for her"

" And the bracelet he got her for her birthday" Bellatrix said lifting Andromeda's wrist to show her mother the silver bracelet that hung from it.

Druella beamed at her daughter, " I'm very proud of you, Andromeda."

Andromeda smiled at them but felt the knot in her stomach make itself known. They were all ecstatic at the idea of her and Rabastan. She felt extremely guilty. How would they all react if they knew that 24 hours before, she had been kissing a muggleborn?

" Come on girls, let's go home" Druella said leading her girls out of the platform.

Andromeda cast one last glance at where Ted was standing with his family. He was looking at her too.

She shook her head and looked forward where her family was. And tried to focus on being a Black.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Being back at Black manor was strange for Andromeda. The house was massive but it had a horrible tendency to feel completely empty, even when it was full. Andromeda spent most of her time alone in her room. Bellatrix was always running off doing something out of the house and Narcissa was always trailing after her mother, having conversations with her about linen colors and hairstyles. Andromeda again felt very lonely. She didn't know what to do with herself. She mostly read. In the first few days she made it through her entire collection. She had read everything before, she desperately needed a trip to Flourish and Blotts. She opened her bag and decided to unpack a little. She pulled out a handful of sweaters and something heavy fell to the floor. Andromeda bent down and picked it up. It was wrapped in a 'History of Magic' dust jacket, but it was the Television book that Ted had given her for her birthday. She picked it up and placed it on her bed, staring at it carefully. She had read it cover to cover and she hadn't been able to put it down. Now she wanted to read it again and throw it in the fire at the same time.

" Andromeda!" her mother called from downstairs. She jumped slightly. Her mother's voice was very shrill and carried through the walls. Andromeda slipped the book under her bed and walked downstairs.

Her mother was sitting in the living room, admiring a new ring that adorned her finger.

" Oh there you are Andromeda" Druella said happily, " come here"

Andromeda sat down in the chair next to her and Druella turned to face her middle child.

" As I am sure you know, we have the Lestrange holiday party in a few days and this time it is especially important that you make a good impression" she told her.

Andromeda nodded. She knew how important it was too her mother.

" So," Druella told her, " I want you to go with Bellatrix to Diagon Alley and pick out some new jewelry for the party"

Andromeda raised her eyebrow in confusion. Her mother had never favored Andromeda. In fact, if it hadn't been for the attention from Rabastan, Andromeda doubted that her mother would have even acknowledged her existence this Christmas.

" Bellatrix!" Druella called loudly up to the stairs. A minute later, Bellatrix came down the stairs looking slightly irritated. Her hair was pulled into a bun and she looked like there was nothing she wanted to besides lay in bed.

" Bellatrix, go with Andromeda to Diagon Alley and help her pick out jewelry for the Lestrange holiday party" her mother ordered her.

Bellatrix crossed her arms and eyed them both in confusion, " Why me?"

Druella gave her harsh look, " Because you have already landed a Lestrange brother, Bella" she said.

Bellatrix smiled, " Good Point, I'll go change"

Bellatrix traipsed back upstairs to change her clothes and Andromeda sat in the sitting room waiting for her.

" So Andromeda" Druella asked her, " What did you do to charm young Rabastan?"

Andromeda looked at her in confusion.

" I didn't do anything" she said avoiding her mother's glance, " he just sort of came to me"

Druella smiled at her daughter and stroked her hair.

A minute later, Bellatrix came down the stairs fully dressed and Andromeda got her coat from the rack near the front door.

Andromeda slipped into it knowing it was freezing outside.

" Let's just apparate, it's so much easier" Bellatrix told her offering her her arm.

Andromeda took it and felt the uncomfortable feeling of being shoved through a tube. Both of the girls landed on their feet in the the Leaky Cauldron. Bellatrix gave a reproachful look at the bartender before leading Andromeda to the back to the entrance of Diagon Alley.

Bellatrix seemed determined to get into the alley as quickly as possible. She pushed Andromeda quickly through the barrier and into the Alley.

Seeing as it was so close to Christmas, the alley was crowded with people doing last minute shopping. Bellatrix kept a tight grip on Andromeda's arm and led her through the crowded streets and into Knockturn Alley.

Knockturn Alley was considered a 'Dark Street' but Bellatrix and Andromeda had been going there for years. It was only really dangerous to other people. Most of the residents and shopkeepers knew and respected the Black family, so the two girls had no reservations about wandering down the street. Bellatrix didn't stop until they got to the towering shop of Borgin & Burkes.

Andromeda knew the shop was Bellatrix's favorite. She had watched her spend hours in there before, examining every single one of the dark and magical objects.

"Come on" Bellatrix said opening the door and pulling Andromeda in.

The shop was very dark and crowded. Andromeda and Bellatrix had to walk directly behind one another, so that they didn't knock anything over.

" Ah, Ms. Black and Ms, Black" Borgin said coming out from behind the counter and greeting them both, " What can I do for you? Are you buying or selling?"

" Buying" Bellatrix told him. " Andromeda here needs jewelry for the Lestrange holiday party"

Borgin grinned and revealed his cracked teeth to the girls.

" Well," he said pulling something out of the case in front, " what about this?"

The necklace he was holding was a large choker, that was scattered with Scarlet stones.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at him, " Are you mad? She's trying to impress Pureblood Slytherins, you want her to walk around with bloody scarlet gems around her neck?" she asked him in disbelief.

Borgin thought for a moment, " Right, of course. Don't know what I was thinking, how about this one then? Very Slytherin" he asked holding up another. This necklace was a large gold necklace with several large emeralds.

" Much better" Bellatrix said taking the necklace from him and holding it up to Andromeda's neck.

" Do you like it?" she asked Andromeda.

Andromeda shrugged, she didn't much care what she wore. She was completely content letting Bellatrix pick out everything for her.

" We'll take it" Bellatrix told Borgin. He grinned happily and Bellatrix followed him to the counter, taking out a sack of their parent's gold to pay for it.

Andromeda waited for her by the door. When Bellatrix came over to her, she thrusted the package into Andromeda's arms and they left the shop.

They walked back through the Knockturn Alley and into Diagon Alley again.

" Bella, I'm going to stop in Flourish & Blotts, okay?" she told her sister.

Bellatrix nodded, " I'll be in Madam Malkins"

Andromeda left Bellatrix's side and headed towards the bookshop. It was reasonably crowded and Andromeda made her way through the crowd, scanning the shelves for some new reading material. She stopped and picked up an autobiography about a wizard who had used the Polyjuice potion to become 30 different wizards when someone came up next to her.

" Hey there Black" Hestia said appearing from beside her.

" oh, Hestia. Hi" Andromeda said.

She hadn't been expecting to see anyone from Hogwarts today. She was still in her funk from being at home again and it was making her slightly cranky.

" Don't sound so thrilled to see me" Hestia pointed out.

" Sorry" Andromeda admitted sheepishly, " It's just being home, it's made me irritable"

Hestia smiled, " Well you're welcome to the Bloodtraitor Jones house any time" she told her.

Andromeda smiled, " Thanks, Hestia"

" No problem" Hestia assured her.

Andromeda picked up another book from the shelf and looked at the back cover.

" So listen" Hestia said to her, " did something happen between you and Ted?"

The book slipped from Andromeda's hand in surprise and tumbled to the floor. Andromeda quickly scrambled to pick it up, turning slightly pink.

" What, why?" she asked her quickly.

Hestia was looking at Andromeda strangely, " Well I mentioned something about you on the train and Ted looked ready to kill me. Did you to get into a fight or something"

Andromeda found herself very confused. Why was Ted mad at her? She should be the one who was angry with him, for kissing her like that.

" I'm not really speaking to him right now" Andromeda admitted, shoving the book angrily back on the shelf.

Hestia smiled, " Oh so you did fight, what happened?" she asked.

Andromeda just shook her head, " It was nothing" she said quickly.

She didn't want to talk about it. She had been thinking about Ted far too much lately and it was making her mad. She didn't need to talk about him with Hestia too.

" Okay, fine. Don't tell me" Hestia said throwing her arms up in defeat.

" Andromeda, are you ready?" Bellatrix asked her. She stopped eyeing Hestia with a look of disgust.

" Hello Bellatrix" Hestia said, a smile playing on her lips.

Bellatrix scowled at her and said" Bloodtraitor".

Hestia just rolled her eyes at her comment, obviously unaffected.

" Come on, Andy" Bella said taking Andromeda's arm and leading her from the shop.

" You shouldn't be talking to Hestia Jones" Bellatrix warned Andromeda when they were back in the street, " she's a bloodtraitor"

Andromeda sighed and couldn't help but think she was doing a lot of things that she probably shouldn't be.

Break passed very slowly for Andromeda. She wasn't absorbed with Holiday planning like Narcissa and Bellatrix so she sat in her room letting her mind wander. She was furious how often it wandered to Ted. The effect he had on her was making her grumpier than ever.

Even though they didn't know why, the rest of her family seemed to sense that she was in a mood and avoided her at all costs.

In fact, none of them bothered her at all until Christmas Eve. It was the night of the Lestrange Holiday party and Andromeda had come back upstairs around four o'clock to find the necklace from Borgin and Burkes sitting on her bed, along with a strapless green cocktail dress.

Andromeda didn't even want to go, but she knew she didn't have a choice. The last thing she was in the mood to do was go sit in a party full of purebloods and have her mother watch her and Rabastan like a hawk. She considered faking an illness, but knew it was no use. Unless she was dying, her mother would still make her get dressed and go to this party.

So slightly irritated, Andromeda slipped on the dress, necklace and shoes and walked downstairs to where the rest of her family was.

Bellatrix and Narcissa were both standing in the living room, dressed in black and violet. It seemed the three sisters were always wearing the same three colors.

Andromeda frowned wondering why Bellatrix was always allowed to wear Black and Andromeda was forced to wear green. Perhaps it was conversion therapy, Andromeda thought. Maybe her parents thought that if they dressed her in green enough, she would embody all of the Slytherin qualities.

Druella and Cygnus black strode out into the foyer. Druella was wearing a floor length silver dress that matched the tie of her husband's dress robes.

Together, the family looked like an ad for the quality of Pureblood genes.

" Well don't you all look lovely" Cygnus said looking at all of his daughters.

" Thank you Daddy!" Narcissa said happily in the revoltingly sweet voice she always used around her parents. Andromeda had just smiled and Bellatrix had raised an eyebrow.

Druella came over to Andromeda and straightened her dress before running her hands through her hair.

" There" Druella said squeezing her daughter's shoulder, " Perfect"

Andromeda had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. The only reason her mother cared about her appearance right now was because she was desperate for the Lestrange's to approve of her. There was nothing Druella wanted more than for Andromeda to end up married to Rabastan.

" Ready?" Cygnus asked his three daughters, as both he and Druella offered the girls and arm to apparate.

" I can do it myself" Bellatrix said crossing her arms.

Narcissa took hold of her father's arm, and Druella latched herself onto Andromeda. A moment later, Andromeda landed shakily on the path leading to the Lestrange Mansion.

She turned to see the rest of her family surrounded by her.

The large mansion was towering in front of them. Andromeda knew her parent's adored the Lestrange's property and hoped that one day either Bellatrix or Andromeda would be living there.

The five Black's walked to the door and knocked lightly. It was answered by a house elf in a sad pillowcase. He bowed at the witches and wizard in front of him and opened the door to let them in.

Druella led Andromeda into the house and the rest of their family followed suit.

The Lestrange mansion had been decorated with what seemed like every decoration possible. There were twelve trees in the foyer, the parlor, and the ballroom. Garland hung from every surface and icicles were strung from the ceiling. Andromeda couldn't believe the extent to which the Lestrange's had gone to decorate.

Almost as impressive as the decoration was the sheer amount of witches and wizards in attendance. It seemed as if every respectable Pureblood family was in attendance.

The Notts, Malfoy's, Greengrasses', Goyles, Crabbes, Zabinis, Carrows, Rosiers, Crouchs, Yaxleys, and Bulstrodes where all there as well as many others. Andromeda recognized a large amount of her housemates scattered across the house.

" Oh, Druella. You're here" Lydia Lestrange called walking over to her and kissing Druella on the cheek.

Lydia Lestrange was a beautiful witch with sparkling skin, high cheekbones, and a sheet of white blonde hair. Her sons had obviously taken after her, but with the hair of their father.

" We wouldn't dare miss it" Druella told her.

" Hello, Mrs. Lestrange" Andromeda told her as Lydia pulled her into a hug.

" Andromeda please, call me Lydia" Lydia told her, " and don't you look beautiful"

Druella smiled proudly at her daughter and Andromeda felt herself blush slightly.

" Rabastan is in the parlor, he'll be delighted you're here" Lydia said.

Andromeda smiled and took the hint from her mother's face and said, " Great, I think I'll go find him then"

Lydia smiled at her and Andromeda made her way through the crowded party to the parlor.

She had been to this house so many times that she could have done it with her eyes closed. The parlor was mostly crowded with Hogwarts age people. Andromeda said hello to a few people as she walked over to the corner where Rabastan was standing with Thomas and Evan. Alicia was standing with them, holding Evan's hand tightly.

Rabastan was wearing dress robes again and his hair had been styled. He looked up and saw Andromeda, his face brightened instantly.

" Andromeda!" he said happily as she walked over, " you're here"

Andromeda smiled, " Just got here".

She stood next to him and quickly said hello to everyone else. Alicia was obviously excited that her friend was here.

" Can you believe the dress on Annalise Greengrass?" Alicia asked her gesturing to the purple poofy dress the girl was wearing, " honestly some girls can't dress at all"

" Well you look nice, Alicia" Andromeda told her.

Alicia beamed. She was wearing a knee length pink dress and her hair was swooped onto the top of her head. Andromeda didn't often see her dressed up, so tonight she looked especially pretty.

They stood their talking for a few minutes before Lydia walked into the room and announced that everyone should move to the ballroom for dinner and dancing.

Andromeda followed behind Rabastan and Alicia into the ballroom and found that there was a huge space in the middle that was left clear for dancing while the edge of the room was lined with beautifully decorated dinner tables.

Each seat had a name card, and Andromeda noticed that her family, along with her cousins and aunt and uncle had been placed at the Lestrange's table with the Avery's.

Her parent's looked overjoyed at this fact as they sat down in between Mr. & Mrs. Lestrange and Mr. & Mrs. Avery. The other Mr. & Mrs. Black were next to them too.

Andromeda was seated between Bellatrix and Rabastan.

As soon as everyone had sat down, waiters dressed in Dress Robes came to each table and put a plate of food in front of each person. As the families began eating, they started making conversation.

To her horror, she overheard the conversation between Lydia and her mother, and realized that they were talking about her.

" That bracelet Rabastan gave Andromeda for her birthday was absolutely beautiful" Druella gushed to Lydia.

The other woman smiled widely, " Wasn't it? He's always had good taste, which is why I think he seems to be so enamored with your daughter"

Andromeda looked away trying to pretend she hadn't just heard the conversation between the two of them. She spent most of the meal listening to Bella making snide comments about the people in attendance who she didn't like and talking to Rabastan about the food.

When dinner ended, several couples got up and moved to the dance floor. Most of them were married couples. Both the Lestranges and both Blacks had all stood and and gone to the floor.

" You want to dance?" Rabastan asked her from beside her.

Andromeda blinked at him in surprise. Rabastan didn't seem like the type. She nodded, knowing it would be rude to refuse and let Rabastan take her hand and lead her to the dance floor.

Andromeda had been taught how to waltz when she was younger, like most Pureblood were. So she was entirely prepared. Rabastan placed his hand on her waist and took the other in his own. The song started and the two began to spin around the dancefloor.

" You're pretty good at this" Andromeda commented as Rabastan moved gracefully around the room.

Rabastan smiled, " I've had a lot of practice" he told her as he spun her out and then back to his chest.

Andromeda felt momentarily nervous as Rabastan wrapped his arms around her. It only lasted a second. He spun her out again and returned his hand to her waist and danced.

Both of their parents were beaming at them and they noticed.

" Any chance you want to go for a walk, and get out of here for a few minutes?" Rabastan whispered in her ear.

Desperate to get away from her mother's watchful eye, Andromeda nodded and followed him out of the ballroom and through the doors to the grounds.

The air outside was freezing and Andromeda shivered slightly at the cold.

" Here" Rabastan said shrugging off his robes and putting them over Andromeda's shoulders.

She smiled, " Thanks".

Rabastan nodded and the two walked down the path to the gardens behind the house. The Rabastan's lawns were beautiful and they walked through them silently. When Rabastan approached one of the low garden benches he sat down and Andromeda took the spot next to him.

" You know" he told her, " you look really nice tonight"

" Thanks" Andromeda told him looking down, " so do you"

Rabastan smiled and looked at his hands. He looked more nervous than Andromeda had ever seen him before.

" Andromeda" he said quietly.

Andromeda looked up at him and he moved towards her, leaning close and kissed her. One of his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her towards him.

Andromeda responded the way she always did when she was kissed, and she kissed him back. Rabastan was a good kisser. His lips were soft, and the arms that held her to him were strong. But something felt wrong. A year ago, Andromeda would have killed to be sitting at the Lestrange Christmas Party being kissed by Rabastan, but now she wished it were someone else. She wished it was Ted who was kissing her. Sudden realization washed over her as she and Rabastan broke apart. She liked Ted.

He was a muggleborn and a Hufflepuff and he was loud, and he pried into Andromeda's life and drove her crazy. He was completely wrong for her, and he bothered her. But Andromeda liked him.

Rabastan smiled at her, completely unaware of what was going on inside her head.

Andromeda's stomach flipped feeling a mixture of guilt and disgust. What was she going to do now.

Rabastan stood up and took her hand in his, leading her back into the ballroom and to their table. His hand felt like it was burning against hers, as the guilt spread further into her.

She was holding the hand of the respectable Slytherin pureblood boy who had just kissed her, and she liked a muggleborn.

Andromeda Black liked a muggleborn.

As Andromeda and Rabastan sat down, everyone at their table looked at their interlocked hands and Rabastan's robes around Andromeda's shoulders.

She had never seen two sets of parents smile as hard as the Blacks and the Lestrange's were now.

Andromeda let go of Rabastan's hand and handed him back the robes. He sat down next to her and was in a much more friendly mood for the rest of the evening. Andromeda kept noticing her family throwing glances at the two of them all night long and Andromeda was burning with guilt.

The night lagged on and finally as it approached midnight, people started to leave. Thankfully, the Black's seemed to decide it was getting late and they all headed for the door.

" So, I'll see you at school then?" Rabastan asked Andromeda , walking her to the door.

" Yeah" Andromeda said quietly, nodding.

She wasn't even looking at him. She felt too horrible.

" Okay, well see you then" Rabastan said placing a quick kiss on her cheek. Andromeda let him, but she was extremely uncomfortable.

Her mother smiled at the gesture and Andromeda felt even worse. She didn't know how she had managed to get herself into this situation, but now she was really starting to freak out.

Andromeda Black liked a muggleborn. And she had no idea what to do about it.

Andromeda woke up on Christmas morning in her bed. She wasn't excited at all about Christmas this year. She was still too anxious about what had happened the night before.

She walked downstairs in her pajamas and found Bellatrix and Narcissa were already sitting on the floor in front of their own stack of presents, opening them excitedly.

Andromeda sat down in front of the pile of green presents in front of her and just stared at them. She didn't want to open them. She didn't want to see what her parent's had gotten her. She felt too horrible.

" Andromeda, open your presents" Druella ordered from the sitting room. She was reading a copy of the prophet on the couch.

Andromeda looked up at her and then slowly opened the presents in front of her. She had been given a silver hand mirror, several new books, and a new broomstick. It was the newest broom on the market. A comet 74. Andromeda stroked the glossy handle in disbelief.

" Only the best for the Slytherin Quidditch team" her father said from his armchair, " you better win the next game"

Andromeda sighed, of course they had heard about Slytherin's loss to Hufflepuff. They had given her the new broom to ensure that she didn't make any more mistakes for their former house.

" Thank you both" Andromeda said picking up her things in arms.

Her mother nodded curtly, " Girls bring your things upstairs and go get ready, the rest of the family will be arriving shortly".

All three of the Black girls scooped up their presents and walked up the stairs to their bedrooms.

Andromeda opened the door to hers, but was stopped by Bellatrix.

She was grinning at her, " So, Andromeda tell me did you and Rabastan kiss last night?" she asked quickly, " because Rodolphus told me you did and I wanted to hear it from you"

Andromeda suddenly very angry. She hated that her business was being talked about behind her back, especially when even she didn't want it to happen.

" Mind your own business, Bellatrix" Andromeda snapped and walked into her room, closing the door loudly behind her.

Andromeda didn't know what was wrong with her. She was never normally like this. This whole Ted Rabastan thing was making her go mad, and be rude to her family.

She wanted it to stop. She wished she had never even met Tonks.

 _No you don't_ the little voice in her said clearly.

Andromeda didn't want it to be right. Just thinking about it was making her upset. She tried not to. She got dressed and hung upstairs into her room until she heard her family arriving downstairs.

Druella and Cygnus always hosted Christmas at their house. So every year all of the Blacks and their relatives arrived at Black Manor to celebrate the holiday.

Andromeda walked downstairs and found everyone had already arrived.

Her grandparents, Irma and Pollux were sitting in two armchairs by the fire. Andromeda had never liked them much. They adored her father and didn't like her mother, so they usually kept very quiet and to themselves.

Her parents were sitting on the couch with her Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion, which meant that Sirius and Regulus were around here somewhere too.

Andromeda found Regulus sitting on the floor beside the tree with Narcissa, and Sirius was standing in the corner with his arms crossed, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there.

Andromeda walked over and stood next to him, " You look about as miserable as I do"

Sirius shook his head, " I bet I'm more miserable"

Andromeda shrugged, " At least at some point you get to leave here today" she reminded him.

Sirius wrinkled his nose, " Yeah, but I have to go back to my home, which is even worse"

Andromeda sighed.

Sirius turned to her, " So Andromeda" he said with a lopsided grin, " remind me again why Perfect Pureblood Slytherin Andromeda Black was at a Gryffindor party dancing with a muggleborn?" he asked her quietly.

Andromeda eye's widened and she smacked him hard on the arm, " Are you bloody insane?" she whispered angrily, " why would you bring this up here?"

Sirius just laughed, " Andromeda Relax, no one can hear us"

Andromeda was unconvinced, she looked past his shoulder to make sure that none of the adults were listening to their conversation.

They all seemed to be too busy with their own conversations to hear anything that either of them were saying.

Andromeda turned back to her cousin who was wearing a wide grin.

" Oh, Shut it Sirius" she said crossing her arms.

He laughed again, " No don't get me wrong, I'm impressed. I thought I had lost you to the rest of them"

Andromeda narrowed her eyes at him, " Don't repeat that, Sirius. Do you realize the trouble I would be in if any of them found out about that?"

Sirius shook his head, " Don't worry, my lips are sealed. I'm not likely to rat on the only family I like" he pointed out, slinging an arm around Andromeda's shoulders.

Andromeda rolled her eyes at him but smiled. When she looked up she saw that her Uncle Alphard had just arrived.

Uncle Alphard was Walburga and Druella's much younger brother. He looked like an older Sirius.

Alphard was only thirty two and was the most liberal of the Blacks. He was always spouting his more radical political views that disagreed with the usual Black ideas.

Druella had mentioned more than once that Alphard should watch what he says before he got himself blasted off Aunt Walburga's family tapestry.

Uncle Alphard was the only person in Andromeda's family, besides Sirius, who was far too young, who she thought she might be able to talk to about what was going on with her.

So she waited until he was alone so that she could talk to him.

After about an hour of being there, Uncle Alphard excused himself to the library to refill his whiskey.

Andromeda slipped after him and followed him into the library closing the door behind her.

" Andromeda?" her Uncle Alphard asked her, " what are you doing here? You're not getting a drink are you?" he asked her with his eyebrow raised.

Andromeda shook her head and laughed, " No, I just wanted to talk to you about something, away from everyone else"

She turned to the door and pulled out her wand whispering 'muffliato' to make the room soundproof.

Andromeda could feel her throat closing and her palms sweating as she grew more nervous. She couldn't believe she was actually going to say this out loud.

Uncle Alphard leaned against the bookshelf with his whiskey in his hand and said, " Alright, lay it on me"

Andromeda took a deep breath, " Okay, so you know how sometimes you get into arguments with Mother and Aunt Walburga about your stance on muggleborns?" Andromeda asked.

Her uncle nodded and Andromeda could feel her knees starting to shake slightly.

" Well" she said quietly, " I think I agree with you"

Her uncle blinked in her, taking in her words.

" Really?" he asked her.

Andromeda nodded quickly and a smile broke out onto her uncle's face. He walked towards her and pulled her into a tight hug.

" This is wonderful news, Andromeda!" he exclaimed, " that means that their seventeen years of brainwashing didn't work, you have your own opinions and they're the right ones"

Andromeda frowned, as happy as she was that her Uncle Alphard and her agreed about muggleborns what she had to say next was much harder.

" But, I have a problem" Andromeda said chewing on the end of her nail.

Her uncle grew quiet as he waited for her to elaborate.

" You see" Andromeda said looking at the floor, " There's this muggleborn boy I go to school with,"

She looked up at her Uncle's face searching for his reaction.

" and I think I like him" Andromeda finished quietly.

She instantly studied his face, looking for any sign of emotion. He just stared back at her blank faced.

He ran his hands through his hair and over his chin.

" That is a problem" he said quietly.

Andromeda stood with her arms crossed, feeling like she was being crushed with a bag of weights.

" I assume you haven't told anyone about this" her uncle said.

Andromeda shook her head fiercely and he Uncle took another deep breath.

He sighed and turned to her, " Andromeda, you aren't in the position to be with a muggleborn" he told her, " your parents would disown you"

Andromeda stared at the floor and nodded slowly. She knew he was going to tell her this.

" But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it" he added quickly.

Andromeda looked at him in disbelief, " What?" she asked.

She thought she had misheard him. There was no way that her Uncle, her mother's brother was actually advising her to do that. She had thought he would have helped her come up with a way to get over it, not encourage it.

Her uncle took her by the shoulder and sat her down on the couch in the library.

" Andromeda" he said sternly, " if you are not happy in your life, then it's not worth it. You need to do what will make you happy. If this muggleborn boy is it, then you need to do it, but that is a life altering decision and you need to make sure that that is what you really want"

He looked at her more softly now, " In a house like this, you can't just do things like that, and trust me I understand better than anyone. So my recommendation for you is to try and get over it. This may just be a schoolgirl crush and not something worth ruining your life for, but if it isn't. If it is really what you want Andromeda if it is really what will make you happy, than you do it and you don't look back"

Andromeda blinked at him again. She was still so shocked that he was telling her to do this. She was sure her mother would have murdered Alphard in his sleep of she had heard what he was telling her right now. But it comforted Andromeda. It gave her a little hope and made her feel less like a horrible person.

" Thank you" Andromeda told her Uncle quickly, " I needed that"

Her Uncle wrapped an arm around her and hugged her tightly

" Love is never wrong, Andromeda" he told her, " I don't care what any of them say"

Andromeda smiled at him, feeling slightly better that she had someone to talk to.

" That being said" her Uncle added, " I would try and keep it a secret if I were you"

She nodded. There was no way she was going to tell anyone else about this. She wasn't stupid.

Her uncle smiled again and stood up, taking her hand and leading her to the door.

" You and Sirius always have been my favorites in the family" Alphard told her, " now I know why"

Andromeda beamed at him. She was glad that she had told him. He had managed to make her feel better about the whole situation.

They both sat down in the living room with the rest of the family and tried to enjoy the rest of their Christmas.

Andromeda spent most of her time sitting on the couch with Sirius, trying to ignore everyone else. Sirius disliked them all almost as much as she did at the moment.

" Look at them" Sirius said under his breath shaking his head at Druella and Walburga who were sitting close together and laughing loudly about something, " probably talking about a murdered muggleborn or something"

Andromeda felt herself get angry. She hated that was one of their favorite topics of discussion.

She crossed her legs and found herself staring at the both of them with a look of disgust and mumbling

" bigoted, racist gits"

Sirius eyed her with a look of pure joy, " I'm liking this new side of you, Andromeda"

Andromeda shrugged, she didn't know if it was a new side to her or one that was getting very sick of hiding itself. Logically, she knew she had to stay the good daughter. She had to remain obedient and do what she was told, but at least she knew she was different from them. And that was good for now.

Andromeda got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, getting herself a glass of Pumpkin juice.

When she walked back into the sitting room. Her parents and the rest of the adults were all gathered around in a loud conversation about politics.

"... it's just the fact that the even let them into Hogwarts that's disgusting to me" her Aunt Walburga said rolling her eyes, " I mean these mudbloods have no magical family. They're practically muggles"

" They should just be thrown out" her uncle Orion agreed.

" Or gotten rid of" her mother added.

Andromeda felt the glass slip from her hands and fall to the floor where it shattered.

All of the adults looked up at her quickly.

" Andromeda!" her mother scolded.

Andromeda had never felt so conflicted in her entire life. She bent down to pick up the pieces and control herself from getting angry.

" Oh just leave it" her mother said frustrated, " Libby will get it".

The house elf had come out of the kitchen with a broom and ushered Andromeda away from the fragments.

Andromeda walked back over to the couch where Sirius was sitting and joined him. Alphard was sitting on the other side of him. He gave her a look.

She knew what it meant. Ignore them, don't give them the satisfaction.

" Anyway as I was saying" Druella continued, " I don't even know why they let them go to Hogwarts in the first place"

Andromeda's leg shook angrily. And Sirius looked like his eyes were going to fall out of his head because he was rolling them so much.

" You know some of the best witches and wizards in my year are muggleborn" Sirius said loudly.

" SIRIUS!" Aunt Walburga scolded shrilly.

Sirius shrugged, " I'm just saying, I'm a Pureblood and some of them are better than me"

" Shut your mouth Sirius, before I do it for you" Uncle Orion said dangerously from beside her.

Sirius rolled his eyes, but he didn't say anything for the rest of the evening. Neither did Andromeda. She remained resolutely silent.

When the evening was over and everyone began to leave, her Uncle Alphard grabbed her arm and stopped her.

" Listen Andromeda" he told her, " I know you're dealing with a lot right now, so if you need to talk do not hesitate to write me"

Andromeda nodded and he pulled her into a hug.

" I'm proud of who you've become" he told her and gave her one last smile before apparating with a quick pop.

Andromeda didn't wait to say goodbye to the rest of her family. She just went back upstairs. She had dealt with them enough today and wasn't in the mood to do it anymore.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Andromeda had never been more thrilled to be back at Hogwarts then she was after the Winter Break she had had. The castle seemed like a warm welcome from the last two weeks she had had at Black Manor. The only problem she was having now, was she was avoiding too many people. She had been avoiding Rabastan since the train ride back. She didn't know how to deal with that situation. She really didn't feel anything for him, but she knew that saying this would not only upset him, but both of their families. And on top of it, she was dreading seeing Ted.

She hadn't spoken to him since he had kissed her. Now that she had finally admitted to herself that she felt something for him, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling of being mad at him. She was mad at him for making her like him. Her life had been perfectly fine before she had met him, and the only thing he had done was complicate it. She had decided that the best course of action for dealing with her feelings toward him were to simply pretend that they didn't exist. She had convinced herself that he was just another muggleborn. Someone she sat next to in Potions and patrolled with. Nothing more.

Thinking like this was easier for her, and after hours of thinking, she had decided this was what she had to do to keep her life as simple as possible.

So after lunch on the first day back, Andromeda walked with Alicia and Emma into the Potions classroom and Andromeda took her empty seat next to Ted. He looked up when she sat there but didn't say anything. They both sat staring forward, like they didn't know each other at all. They didn't talk for the rest of the class. Slughorn was having them work on creating antidotes from scratch and it required everyone's full attention. The two didn't even have a chance to talk to each other. It was even easier than Andromeda had thought. If she focused herself enough on the work she had to do, her mind didn't even wander to the blond haired boy sitting inches from her.

The potions class ended and no one had been able to brew a correct antidote. Andromeda gathered her things and left the classroom quickly. Following closely behind Alicia and Emma.

" Hey, Andromeda. Wait up" she heard a voice call behind her.

She turned, hoping dearly that it wasn't Ted. It wasn't, the voice belonged to Rabastan.

She felt even more guilty as she realized she had been dreading seeing him almost as much as Ted.

" Hey," he said catching up with her.

" Hi" Andromeda said quietly.

Alicia raised her eyebrow as she cast a glance between the two of them. She had been pestering Andromeda with questions about him since she had gotten back.

" So you want to go to the grounds?" he asked her, " we still have a few hours behind dinner"

She didn't know what to say. The last thing she wanted to do was go off alone with Rabastan, but she also didn't want to spend the next two hours sitting in the common room watching her sisters and all of their friends staring at them and asking them questions about what had happened at the holiday party.

" Sure " Andromeda told him and walked with him towards the doors to the grounds.

The two of them walked together out of the castle and down the grounds passing the large oak trees.

" So how was your first day back?" he asked her.

She shrugged, " Uneventful. What about yours?"

Rabastan smiled, " It was good"

Andromeda could feel the awkwardness in the air. She knew if she didn't say something now, that it would be even harder to say later. And Rabastan was standing closer to her.

" Actually" Andromeda said quickly, " Rabastan, there's something I need to talk to you about"

Rabastan looked at her with a blank face, " Okay what about?"

Andromeda took a deep breath and searched for the combination of words that would do the least damage.

" So you remember what happened at the holiday party?" she started.

Rabastan nodded and a wide smile appeared on his face, " Perfectly. Why?"

Andromeda bit her lip nervously, " Well, you see. I think I was feeling a little off that night and I shouldn't have kissed you back, I think I may have given you the wrong impression"

Rabastan didn't look angry. He looked confused.

" So you don't like me?" he asked her.

Andromeda shook her head, " No, I do. You're really great Rabastan, I just don't know If I like you like _that_ "

Rabastan looked confused again but nodded his head and said " Okay".

" I think right now might not be the right time," Andromeda added quickly, "maybe if we waited and tried it some other time"

The wasn't true. Andromeda knew that she didn't feel anything for Rabastan like that, but that comment might keep him from being hurt and their families from being furious. It kept it open as an option. Even though Andromeda doubted it would ever be an option she wanted.

Rabastan nodded, " Yeah. You're right. I mean our families are planning our wedding anyway, so we might as well wait until then right?" he laughed.

Andromeda smiled, but she felt her stomach knot itself tightly.

Their families were planning an union between them. So even if Andromeda wasn't forced to be with Rabastan now, at some point in the future she was expected too.

She felt like she was being robbed of her choices.

" Alright well I'm going to go back up to the common room" Rabastan told her, " you coming?"

Andromeda shook her head. She wanted to stay out here for a little while. The last thing she wanted was to sit in a room full of Slytherins.

She walked down the grounds and looked at the Black Lake. It was so massive and so dark. She felt like it was such a misunderstood part of the castle. From a glance, it looked like a metaphor for death, but inside it was full of life.

She walked down the pier and sat down at the end of it, letting her legs dangle over the side, so she could look at the water below her. It was peaceful. She had found a new respect for spending time by herself.

Her solitude was not for long. Someone walked down the pier and sat down next to her.

" You know, if you fall in you might get eaten by the giant squid" Alfie told her, dangling his own legs over the side.

She shook her head, " The giant squid is an herbivore"

Alfie laughed, " Well then I guess you're fine"

Andromeda smiled and looked back at the water. As nice as Alfie was, he was friends with Ted and apart from him, the two didn't have very much in common.

" Can I ask you something? Alfie asked her quietly.

" You just did" she reminded him. Alfie made a face that she had never seen before. Annoyance didn't look like it fit on the kind Hufflepuff's face.

" Sorry, go ahead" she said.

Alfie took a rock off of the pier and tossed it into the water, " Did you say something to Ted? I mean I don't know if you did or not, it's just he has been a little quieter lately and he hasn't mentioned you at all. so I thought you might know why"

Andromeda felt her chest constrict. She didn't know why what he said was bothering her, but it did.

" I haven't spoken to him since Slughorn's Christmas party" Andromeda told him, " and we weren't that close anyway"

Alfie shrugged, " Okay. I just figured you might know"

" I'm sure he's fine" Andromeda told him. She hoped he was. She felt a pang of guilt and hoped it had nothing to do with her.

She shook her head. No it couldn't be about her. He was obviously dealing with something else.

" Alright, well I'll see you around Andromeda" Alfie told her standing up.

" See you, Alfie" she called to him.

He left and Andromeda was alone again. She realized that she was spending more and more time alone lately, and she wondered if she shouldn't be.

Andromeda barely had time to think anymore. She had suddenly become so busy that she had trouble finding time to do everything was already asked of her, let alone time to deal with what was going on in her head. Another quidditch math, Slytherin V. Gryffindor, was steadily approaching and Bletchley had once again returned to the six day a week practices. It was exhausting.

She spent so much time on her new broom that it felt weird to be walking instead of flying. But Bletchley had been adamant. He had already lost once this year and he didn't plan on doing it again. So he worked the Slytherin team harder than the ever had been. Rolanda Hooch had even burst into tears during the last one.

On top of the massive practices, Andromeda was starting to regret her decision to take so many N.E.W.T. classes.

All of her teachers seemed to be assigning massive amounts of homework and she found it hard time to finish all of the work that she was given. She was almost behind in all of her classes.

Even the easier classes like Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology were requiring more homework and studying than ever before.

Most days, Andromeda fell asleep in the common room with her head resting on one of the massive textbooks.

She had even taken to bringing books with her when she patrolled. Something she always did on Friday patrols. It gave her an excuse to not have to talk to Ted.

It had been a few weeks now that she was back at school and the most she had said to him was " Pass the Unicorn hair".

Her new policy of avoidance was seeming to work for at the moment, but she doubted how long it would last.

As the quidditch match loomed closer. Several Gryffindor players were attacked with jinxes and hexes.

Maxim had been sent to the Hospital wing when he had been hit with a charm that made his nose hair grow at an alarming rate, until it dragged on the floor behind him, and Emmeline Vance had been been hit with a jinx that made her entire body covered in large erupting boils. Both had been healed by Madam Pompfrey, but it kept happening.

Andromeda knew it was the Slytherin players that were doing it. She had heard Bletchley, Amycus, and Yaxley bragging about it in the Common Room. But whenever an incident occurred, they all denied it profousely to the students and the teachers.

Andromeda wished that they wouldn't do that. It was better to win the honest way, and it only gave the rest of the school a reason to hate them more, seeing as they all knew it was the Slytherins doing it. Even some of the Ravenclaws who had supported the Slytherins before, had turned their support to Gryffindor. It had become very lonely to be a Slytherin.

The night before the game, Andromeda was working on an potions essay in the library when she saw a flash of emerald and silver walk past her. She got up from the table and followed it to the more crowded section of the library. When she got there she saw Mary Macdonald, a muggleborn chaser on the Gryffindor team clutching her face, which had turned black and scaly. Someone had cast the Bat Bogey hex on her. Andromeda bet it was the Slytherin who had just passed her, but they were nowhere in sight.

" Who did that?" Maxim, who was sitting next to Mary, cried jumping up. Andromeda looked around widely. The only people besides her in the library now where Gryffindors and Ravenclaws.

Maxim was looking directly at her.

" It was obviously her!" Rita Skeeter said pointing her finger at Andromeda.

" I didn't do anything" Andromeda said quickly. She had just been studying.

" Oh well isn't that convienent" Maxim said crossing his arms, " you're the only Slytherin here when a Gryffindor chaser is attacked and you want us to believe it wasn't you"

" It wasn't me" Andromeda said angrily, " it was someone else"

She couldn't believe that everyone was accusing her simply because she was a Slytherin. It made her furious.

" Oh sure" Rita said sarcastically, leading Mary out of the library with an angry glance.

Maxim crossed his arms and stared at Andromeda angrily, " Come on, I'm Head Boy. I'm taking you to Professor Dumbledore" he said grabbing Andromeda by the arm and pulling her from the library.

" I didn't do it" Andromeda snapped at him, but he didn't let go. He just kept dragging her down the corridor.

" You know, I knew you Slytherins were embarrassed by your last loss, but really hexing the other teams players, thats just pathetic. And you, you were at our Halloween party. Hestia is always talking about what a good person you are. I expect better from you" Maxim said shaking his head.

" I didn't do it" Andromeda snapped icily, " listen to what you just said. I like Gryffindors. Hestia is my friend. Hell I danced with you that night. I didn't hex anyone"

Maxim just shook his head and said something that sounded like " Slytherins"

He walked over to the Headmaster's office and tapped the Phoenix statue in the eye saying " Lemon Drops".

The statue moved and revealed a staircase. Maxim led Andromeda up it and stopped at the door, knocking loudly.

" Come in" a voice called from inside.

Maxim opened the door and pushed Andromeda in, following behind her.

Professor Dumbledore was sitting at his desk scribbling on a piece of parchment with a quill and looked up at both of them.

"Ah, Mr. Wood. Ms. Black, how may I help you?" he asked.

" Sir, she just hexed Mary Macdonald in the library. That's the third attack this week on Gryffindor players" Maxim implored.

Dumbledore looked at Andromeda.

" Professor, please." Andromeda said quickly, " I didn't do this. I swear. I wouldn't want to win by cheating"

Maxim made a loud noise in the back of his throat and said, " Right, a noble Slytherin. There's an oxymoron for you"

Andromeda narrowed her eyes angrily at him. Why was it so hard for everyone to believe that not all Slytherins were scum.

" Mr. Wood, every house at Hogwarts is known for different things but that doesn't mean that the students within them do not embody traits from multiple houses" Professor Dumbledore reminded him.

Maxim frowned.

" Now," Professor Dumbledore said clasping his hands, " did anyone actually see Ms. Black curse Ms. MacDonald?"

Maxim was silent for a second, " Well, no. But she was the only Slytherin in there, of course its her, and she's on the Slytherin team! She had every reason to do it"

Dumbledore shook his head, " I'm sorry Mr. Wood, but if no one saw her do it, then I am afraid she cannot be punished"

Maxim's face got red and he pursed his lips, " But Professor, Mary's a muggleborn, and Andromeda's a Black. They all hate muggleborns. That can't be a coincidence"

Andromeda couldn't believe what he was saying. Actually trying to convince Professor Dumbledore that being a Black was justification for hexing someone.

" Are you actually trying to insinuate that I hexed someone because of my last name?" Andromeda asked coldly.

" Oh, Im not insinuating" Maxim told her, " I'm saying it. You're a Black, and all Black's are obsessed with blood status. You can't stand muggleborns, Im sure you relished in the chance to hex one"

Andromeda was furious. Maxim was the perfect example of the kind of person who made it so hard for her to think the way she did. He was the type of person who would always think that all Slytherins were evil no matter what he saw.

" That's so thick!" Andromeda shouted at him, " My cousin is a Gryffindor if you haven't forgotten. And not all Black's hate muggleborns, and suggesting such makes you just as prejudiced"

Maxim laughed a cold, hurtful laugh, " A Black accusing someone of being prejudiced, that's ironic"

" Enough" Professor Dumbledore said calmly.

Both Andromeda and Maxim turned to look at him.

" Seeing as there is no proof that Ms. Black was responsible for the event that occurred, I can not hold her accountable for it" Professor Dumbledore announced, " and as a word of advice Mr. Wood, I find that it isn't very becoming to think of one family as a whole rather than a collection of individual people. I think that there is a delightful phrase that talks about the consequences of assuming, that you may want to peruse"

Andromeda tried to suppress it but a she let out a quick laugh. Maxim looked furious.

" You both may go now" Professor Dumbledore told them.

Andromeda didn't hesitate. She walked out of the office quickly before Maxim could say anything else to her and walked to the Slytherin Common Room.

She had thought that was going to be worse. If it had been any other Professor besides Dumbledore, or maybe Slughorn, she was sure she would have been punished and banned from tomorrow's game. But Dumbledore always had been a very noble considerate person, and at this moment, she was very glad for it.

She walked into the Slytherin common room and found a collection of her friends standing by the fireplace.

Next to them was Bletchley, and he was telling all of them how he had hexed Mary.

" …..and then the Mudblood's face was covered in bats and I was already out of there" Bletchley laughed.

Andromeda strode right over to him and crossed her arms angrily.

" What the hell?" she demanded, " why would you do that while I was in there? Do you realize that I just got dragged into Dumbledore's office? I could have been banned from Quidditch!"

Bletchley looked at her, " You weren't though, right?" he asked.

Andromeda shook her head, " No. But that's not the point. Why didn't you tell me or warn me or something? Didn't you know I was going to be blamed for it?"

Bletchley shrugged, " Better you than me right? I mean I am captain"

Andromeda couldn't believe what she was hearing. That was such a typical Slytherin response. No wonder the other houses couldn't stand them. Bletchley had intentionally let Andromeda take the fall for it. She was fuming with anger. And she couldn't take it. So she did what she knew he deserved.

She punched him in the nose.

She instantly regretted it. Not because she thought it was wrong, but because of the intense pain she felt in her hand. She shook her right hand trying to get the hand to stop.

" What the hell, Black?" Bletchley demanded, just as Alicia had said " Andy!"

Bellatrix was looking at her with a look of confusion.

Andromeda didn't stop to talk to them about it. She walked away heading towards the exit.

" Where are you going?" Bellatrix demanded walking after her.

" I have to patrol" Andromeda said quickly and walked straight out of the common room, leaving Bellatrix on the other side of the door.

Andromeda clutched her hand and saw that it was bright red and starting to bruise.

It hurt like hell, but she kind of liked it. It was a reminder of what she had done. She no longer wanted to be the passive one. The one who always did what was told and got walked all over.

She made her way to the fourth floor and found Ted was waiting there for her. She was still holding her hand. They didn't say anything to each other. They just walked in silence down the corridor.

After a few minutes of silence, Ted spoke.

" What happened to your hand?" he asked her.

Andromeda blinked at him. They hadn't spoken in weeks and now he was asking about her hand.

" Nothing" she said quietly, facing forward again.

Ted sighed, " Are we really going to do this?" he asked her.

" Do what?" Andromeda asked not looking at him.

" Avoid each other" Ted pointed out, " because this silence is miserable. And I get it, it's my fault. I kissed you. I won't do it again, I promise. Now can we please stop acting like first years and get over it?"

Andromeda was silent as she mulled over what Ted was saying. She knew she liked him, and he didn't. That's why he was talking to her. He didn't know that that's why Andromeda was actually avoiding him. But avoiding him was becoming exhausting and Andromeda didn't want to do it anymore. They could just go back to the way things were before. Where they were friendly but not really friends. Andromeda was sure she would be able to handle that.

" Okay" she said, " fine"

Ted rolled his eyes at her, " So you going to tell me how you hurt your hand now?"

Andromeda sighed, speaking or not, she didn't really want to tell this story.

" I punched my Quidditch captain in the nose" she told him.

Ted burst into loud laughter, " You punched Bletchley? Did you forget you had a wand or something?"

Andromeda thought about it for a moment, she hadn't even considered hexing him. She hadn't known why she didn't think of that.

So she shrugged, " I don't know. I guess he just deserved to be punched"

Ted looked at the bruising on her hand again, " Next time remind me to teach you how to do it right, it looks like you hurt yourself more than him"

" I'm sure I hurt him enough" Andromeda said looking at her bruised knuckles.

Ted laughed again, " So why'd you do it? Get sick of practices or something?"

Andromeda let out a small laugh and shook her head, " No, he's just an asshole"

She told Ted what had happened in the library and how Bletchley had let her take the fall for it

" You're right" Ted told her when she had finished, " he did deserve to be punched"

Andromeda nodded. Ted stopped her and took out his wand.

" You want me to fix your hand or let Slytherin be one chaser short tomorrow?" he asked her.

Andromeda held her hand out to him. There was no way she wasn't playing tomorrow.

Ted raised his wand to her hand and said, " _episky_ "

Andromeda felt the bones snap back into place and she smiled.

" Thank you" she told him.

Ted shrugged, " The least I can do, since I'm rooting for Gryffindor tomorrow"

Andromeda shoved him in the shoulder while he laughed and they walked on down the corridor.

The next day, Andromeda woke up late to avoid eating with her team. Instead she stopped at the kitchens to grab breakfast before the game. When she finished, she walked down to the changing rooms and found her whole team was already there.

When she walked in, she was stopped by Bletchley.

" Look, Andromeda" he started.

Andromeda crossed her arms. He never used her first name. To him, she was always 'Black'.

" I'm sorry about yesterday, I deserved it. Now can we call it even and just win this game?" he asked her.

Andromeda considered telling him to shove it, but he did seem to have some sincerity. Even if it was just to win the game.

" Fine" Andromeda told him, and he grinned happily.

" Alright, good. Everyone huddle around" he told them all.

The rest of the team surrounded him and listened while he gave his pre match pep talk.

" Look, we've already lost one game this year and I don't want to lose another one okay? So this time, we give it our all okay? We win, no matter the cost. I want you all to be on top of it. We score, they don't. And we catch the snitch. Got it?"

Everyone nodded Bletchley looked pleased.

From outside they heard Madam Frikes blow the whistle, so they all grabbed their brooms and flew out into the pitch.

The Gryffindor players had all flown onto the field too, and had entered with a much larger applause. Every other house was supporting Gryffindor. The entire stands was a mass of scarlet with one emerald section where the Slytherins all sat.

The Slytherin players ignored this and flew up so that they were in front of the Gryffindor players.

Andromeda was in front of the chasers and Emmeline cast her a small smile, while Mary glared at her.

Maxim was in front of Bletchley but he kept glaring over at Andromeda too.

She tried to ignore it.

Hestia waved to her with her hand that wasn't holding her beater's bat, and Andromeda waved back. Glad that at least one of the Gryffindor players didn't want her dead.

Madam Frikes blew into her whistle and released all of the balls, signaling the beginning of the game. All of the players sped into the air. The quaffle was with the Slytherins. Goyle had caught it and sped towards the Gryffindor goal post and tossed it to Andromeda. She aimed at the lowest post and scored the first points of the game.

Maxim looked furious, and Andromeda still angry about the previous night, winked at him.

Emmeline had just scored for Gryffindor and was now being chased by Amycus.

This game was a close one. Slytherin and Gryffindor had always been enemies and so neither of them wanted to lose to the other. Andromeda was still so furious at how she had been treated by some of the Gryffindor players that she channeled all of her anger into the game and it benefitted her. She had already scored 6 times, much to Bletchleys delight.

She was about to score her seventh when she heard Bletchley shout " ANDROMEDA! LOOK OUT!"

Andromeda turned her head and felt a bludger slam into the side of her head with so much force she was sure it had to be a round brick.

She was instantly absorbed with pain and the quaffle slipped from her hands, as she fell from her broom and tumbled through the air and onto the ground.

When Andromeda opened her eyes, she was in an unfamiliar brightly lit room. It was the Hospital Wing. She sat up and stopped when she felt the pain in her head. She then remembered the match. She had been hit with a bludger and fallen off her broom.

" Finally, you're up" a voice said from the foot of her bed.

Andromeda opened her eyes again and found that the entire Slytherin quidditch team, as well as her sisters, Emma and Alicia were sitting there.

" What happened?" Andromeda groaned, touching the guaze that was wrapped around her head.

" Bludger" Rabastan told her from the chair next to her bed.

Andromeda blinked in confusion. Hestia had been the beater closest to her. Surely she hadn't done this.

" Wood took Jones' bat and sent the bludger at you" Rolanda told her, " He hit you so hard it cracked your skull open"

Andromeda was shocked. That explained why her head her so much.

" Apparently he was happy that you were playing today" Rabastan told her.

" Git" Andromeda said shaking her head, she stopped her whole body hurt. She winced in pain.

" Yeah, you broke your spine when you fell too" Goyle told her.

Andromeda groaned.

" Don't worry" Madam Pompfrey told her coming over and adjusting her pillows, " You'll be fine. Just a day or two of rest should do it"

" What about the match? Who won?" Andromeda asked quickly.

They all snickered.

" Don't worry Andromeda" Bellatrix said, " we won"

Andromeda grinned, " Good."

" Yeah," Bletchley said, " Hooch caught the Snitch moments before you went down"

" Well I'm glad we didn't lose" Andromeda said happily. She hoped that Wood was feeling as miserable as she was right now.

" Alright, well there's a party in the common room, but we just thought we'd make sure you were alive" Rabastan told her.

" Thanks for the consideration" Andromeda said sarcastically.

" We'll save you some cake" Alicia told her and they all left the Hospital Wing.

Andromeda shifted, trying to find a position that didn't make her head pound. She was unsuccessful.

How hard did Wood have to of hit her to break her skull. And he was a keeper not a beater, shouldn't he be punished for that.

The door to the Hospital Wing opened and Hestia poked her head in.

" Okay they are all gone, we can come in" she said to someone behind her and the door opened revealing Ted, and Alfie.

They walked over and sat down in the chairs by her bed.

" Hey there An, how are you feeling?" Hestia asked.

" Like my skull was cracked open and my spine was broken" she answered.

Hestia laughed quickly, " I'm really sorry about this Andromeda, I had nothing to do with it. Wood took my bat"

" Don't worry about it Hestia, it's fine" she told her.

" Are you in pain?" Ted asked. He was sitting in the chair next to her bed.

Andromeda couldn't shake her head so instead she told him " No, i'm alright"

" You should have seen how furious McGonagall was" Hestia told her, " she banned Wood from playing in the next game"

" Good" Andromeda said bitterly.

Hestia laughed again. She always liked when Andromeda was more outspoken.

Ted had laughed too.

" We were going to come sooner" Alfie said quietly.

" But your band of Slytherins was here" Ted added.

"...and we figured they might not be too keen on a bloodtraitor, hufflepuff, and a mudblood visiting you" he finished.

Andromeda frowned. That statement bothered her. She wasn't sure if it was because Ted had called himself a Mudblood or because they all understood that they couldn't be friends with Andromeda in public. Either way it made her feel horrible.

" Well, I'm glad you all came" she told them.

Ted grinned, " Well truthfully, Alfie and I thought maybe cracking your skull open would give you amnesia and we might be able to talk the Slytherin right out of you"

" Oh, haha" Andromeda said rolling her eyes, " You're hilarious"

Ted let out a throaty low laugh and winked at her.

Hestia rolled her eyes and put her feet up on the end of Andromeda's bed, telling her everything she had missed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ever since Andromeda had been released from the Hospital Wing, all of her housemates had been coming up to her constantly and asking her how she was. Apparently what Wood had done had caused a new, even stronger anti-Gryffindor mentality in Slytherin.

Andromeda didn't know if she was comfortable with this, as furious as she was with Wood, blaming all Gryffindors would only further the divide between the two houses. A gap that was wide enough before.

Andromeda had decided the best way to deal with this was to ignore it. She didn't acknowledge any of the anti-Gryffindor comments or participate in any of the conversations about it. She thought it was extremely childish.

The only peace she had was at least her closest friends weren't talking about it. They had a new, more chilling topic of conversation.

Most of the Slytherin sixth and seventh years were sitting in the Common Room talking and Andromeda was trying not to take part in it.

" ….. He's getting so strong" Rodolphus told them all, " My father told me that by this time next year, You-Know-Who could have more power than imaginable"

" Wow" Bellatrix said. Her eyes were wide as she drank in his every word.

" And he's promising to completely get rid of muggleborns" Rabastan told her.

A wide smile appeared on her sister's face as she said " I'm liking him more and more"

She turned to Andromeda, " Andromeda, you should join with me. After this year we can both follow him" she said happily.

Andromeda felt all of the color drain from her face. She was the last person who should be following You-Know-Who. She liked a muggleborn for Merlin's sakes.

" Oh" Andromeda said blinking, " Maybe. I don't really know"

Bellatrix gave her an odd look and then turned back to Rodolphus.

Andromeda put down her book and decided to go take a shower in the Prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor. She couldn't stay in the Common Room for that conversation. It would upset her too much.

She left the Common Room and walked to the fifth floor.

The only room on this floor that was used was the Prefect's bathroom so it was usually empty.

But when she got there, Ted was walking down the hall. His hair was wet, and he had just come from the Prefect's bathroom.

" Hey, Andromeda. Fancy seeing you here" he said a smile spreading across his face.

" Hey Ted" she said stopping.

" Are you feeling any better?" he asked her, " or does your head still hurt?"

Andromeda shook her head, " I don't even feel it anymore, Madam Pomfrey outdid herself"

Ted laughed, " She really did. When you fell, everyone had thought you were dead. It scared the hell out of me"

Andromeda felt herself blush slightly and hoped it wasn't visible.

" Well, sorry for the anxiety" she told him.

He chuckled, " Leave it to you to apologize for almost dying"

Andromeda smiled, " Sorry, I guess it's one of those Slytherin things" she told him.

Ted shook his head, " I don't think so. It's more of an Dromeda thing"

Andromeda blinked at him. What had he just called her, Dromeda? She liked it. It seemed familiar.

" Great" she said laughing slightly, " another thing that makes me different. Just what I needed"

Ted rolled his eyes at her, " For the hundredth time, the things that make you different from the people around you are some of your most redeeming qualities. Being different, makes you better not worse"

Andromeda stared at him in disbelief. He was the only person who ever said things like that to her. He had an uncanny ability to make her feel better. She felt an upsurge of affection for him and she acted without thinking.

She moved closer to him and pressed her lips to his, kissing him.

Ted's lips were soft and immobile against hers. He obviously hadn't been expecting her to do that.

It only lasted for a second. Just long enough for both of them to realize what she had done.

She pulled back and looked at him, her heart racing.

Ted stared at her for a second, his eyes wide and his lips slightly parted.

Andromeda opened her mouth to say something, but Ted stopped her. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him again, kissing her with more passion than Andromeda had expected and pushing her against the corridor wall.

He had already let her leave once and he wasn't making that mistake again. He had been telling himself for the last two months that he was foolish for kissing her, and that she obviously wasn't interested.

Everytime he had looked at her, he had felt a horrible sense of longing and desperation. He had thought she didn't like him. And now, here she was. She had kissed him.

One of his hands was on her waist holding her to him and the other had knotted itself in her hair, while he moved his lips against hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, ignoring every voice in her head that kept telling her to stop and reminding her that someone could walk around the corner in any second.

For a minute, Andromeda just let herself do what she wanted, and she kissed Ted back.

After another second, Ted pulled his face from hers and looked at her. His hands were still holding her and both of their chests were rising and falling.

Andromeda began to panic. She had no idea what she was doing.

" I have to go" she told him.

Ted's eyes widened in confusion and she knew what he was thinking. But she wasn't going to avoid him again. She reached up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his quickly.

" I'll see you" she promised.

Ted just nodded. He still looked like he was in shock from what had just happened.

Andromeda walked away from her with her mind racing. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to kiss Ted, and it was amazing. She had never felt anything like that before. The feeling that had risen up in her chest when she kissed him was unlike anything she had ever experienced, but he was a muggleborn. What was she going to do.

She wanted to talk to Hestia. She was the only friend that Andromeda had who she felt she could trust with this. So she walked to Gryffindor Tower at almost a run.

She stopped at the painting of the Fat Lady.

" Slytherin's suck" she told her quickly.

She laughed, ' Well yes they do, but the passwords been changed" she told her.

Andromeda bounced in irritation, " Well I need to talk to a Gryffindor. Hestia Jones. If I can't go in, can you get her?" she asked.

" I am not an Owl" she Fat Lady said narrowing her eyes at Andromeda.

Andromeda threw her hands in the air and sat down against the wall outside of the common room, waiting for a Gryffindor to come out.

" So you're just going to sit there?" the Fat Lady asked her.

" Well you won't let me in" Andromeda said wrapping her arm around her knees.

She sat there waiting in silence for a few minutes, hoping that a Gryffindor would show up sometime before curfew.

" Andromeda?" Emmeline asked. She had just walked up to the Fat Lady with Otto Bagman and Caradoc Dearborn.

" What are you doing here?" she asked her.

" I need to talk to Hestia" Andromeda told her, " can you get her?"

Emmeline nodded and said " Of course" and the three Gryffindors disappeared through the portrait hole.

A few minutes later the portrait hole opened again and Hestia's honey colored head appeared.

" I heard there was a stray Slytherin looking for me" she said walking over to Andromeda, " whats up?"

" I have to talk to you about something" Andromeda told her, " in private" she added throwing an angry glance at the Fat Lady.

" Come on, I know a place" Hestia said leading her to away from the Fat Lady. They walked to the sixth floor. It was practically condemned. No teachers or students ever came up here.

Hestia and Andromeda sat down in an archway and Hestia turned to her, " Okay, whats going on?"

Andromeda took a deep breath, " I'm going to tell you something and you have to promise me you will not freak out and you will not tell anyone"

Hestia nodded " Gryffindor's honor"

" Okay" Andromeda told her, " I just kissed Ted"

Hestia let out such a loud scream, Andromeda was sure she had woken up even the giant squid.

" You said you wouldn't freak out!" Andromeda told her.

Hestia's eyes were still wide, " I'm sorry, but that is amazing. I didn't know what I was agreeing too. Tell me what happened"

" Well" Andromeda said looking down at the floor, " it wasn't exactly the first time we've kissed"

" What?" Hestia asked quickly, " Explain."

" Ted kissed me after Slughorn's party" Andromeda told her, " and it scared me, so I ran and that's why we weren't talking for all that time"

" I knew it" Hestia said quietly, " I knew there was something going on between you. He almost choked me for saying your name, and no wonder. He liked you"

Andromeda nodded, " and I liked him too, but I sort of freaked out, and so we didn't talk, but then we made up and tried to be friends, and we were. But I ran into the hallway earlier and we were just talking and I don't even know what came over me, I just kissed him and now I don't know what to do"

Andromeda buried her head on her knees and sighed.

" Did he kiss you back?" Hestia asked. Andromeda nodded.

" Did you enjoy it?" Hestia asked her. Andromeda nodded again.

" So what's the problem then?" she asked, " you know you both like each other"

" Hestia, he's a muggleborn and I'm a Black" she reminded her, " I can't date him, I'd be disowned"

Hestia frowned, " Actually, you can't date him publicly" she pointed out, " but you two can be together when you're alone. Just not in front of other people"

Andromeda shook her head, " Who would do that? Hide their relationship? There's no way he would want to do that"

" He would if he really wants to be with you" Hestia told her, " and there's only one way to find out"

Andromeda looked up at her and pouted.

" You and I both know that I am not the blonde you should be talking to right now" she told her.

Andromeda frowned. She knew what Hestia meant but she really didn't want to.

" March your happy ass down to the Hufflepuff Common Room and talk to him" Hestia ordered.

Andromeda frowned and got to her feet.

" Thank you, Hestia" she told her.

Hestia waved her off, " Anytime"

Andromeda walked to down to the Hufflepuff Common Room. She knew it was somewhere near the kitchens. She had no idea how she was going to get Ted to come out without asking anyone, but when she walked down to the kitchens she realized she didn't have to worry about it. Ted was sitting down on the floor of the corridor, staring at the floor. He looked up quickly and he seemed surprised to see her.

" I was kind of hoping you would turn up" he told her.

" Do you want to go for a walk on the grounds with me?" she asked him. She knew they needed to talk and it was something that they could discuss in the middle of the corridor where anyone could hear them.

" You want to go out onto the grounds after curfew?" he asked her, " You're a Prefect, Andromeda."

She shrugged, " Apparently I'm making a habit of doing things I'm not supposed too"

Ted laughed and shook his head, getting to his feet and following her to the exit to the grounds. They walked outside and Andromeda noticed that there was a full moon outside.

They walked towards the large beech tree near the black lake and sat down.

" Not much of a walk" Ted commented.

Andromeda ran her hands through her hair nervously, " I wanted to talk about what happened earlier"

Ted leaned back against the tree, " You kissing me or you leaving afterwards?" he asked her.

" Both" she told him.

She could barely find the words. It was so weird for her to hear it out loud.

Ted nodded, " Okay".

He was weirdly calm. He looked completely at peace, like there was nothing weird at all about what they were doing.

Andromeda sighed, " Ted, I can't date you"

It was silent for a few seconds while he looked at her in confusion.

Ted frowned, " You know Andromeda" he said getting slightly upset, " you really shouldn't kiss people who you don't like. Its a bit confusing"

He was flustered now, and she could tell that he was slightly angry with her.

" I do like you" she told him, " a lot. And I have for awhile now. I was trying to ignore it, hoping maybe it would go away, but it didn't"

Ted looked at her and crossed his arms, " Well seeing as I've kissed you twice now, you know I like you"

Andromeda wrapped her arms again her knees again, " Ted, if I dated you, I would be disowned" she told him.

" Disowned?" he asked her, " isn't that a bit harsh. I mean I know your family would be upset, but do you really think they would disown you?"

" Yes" Andromeda answered without hesitating, " without a doubt Ted. You don't understand. My Great Aunt Cedrella was disowned for marrying a muggleborn, and her brother tried to kill her for it. I'd be lucky if I was just disowned"

Ted stared at her in disbelief, " That's horrible"

Andromeda nodded and a tear rolled down her cheek, " It doesn't matter what I want. It never has, and it sucks. I like you and I want to be with you, and there is nothing I can do about it"

More tears rolled down her cheek and Ted moved closer to her.

" Don't cry" he said wiping her tears with his hand. Andromeda sniffed quietly.

" I do want to be with you" she told him, " and it's not fair to you. I shouldn't have kissed you, that wasn't fair of me, and I'm sorr-"

Ted cut her off by pressing his lips to hers quickly and then pulling away.

Andromeda eyed him strangely.

" Do not apologize for kissing me" Ted told her, " because that was bloody brilliant"

Andromeda smiled slightly and bit her lip.

" Look, Andromeda" Ted said firmly, " you aren't the only one who has thought about this. I've spent more time than I care to admit thinking about being with you and how hard it would be, but frankly I don't care. I like you and I don't want to ignore it. So no one can know we're together, we'll keep it a secret. It seems like a small price to pay to be with you"

" But that is asking so much of you" Andromeda said softly.

Ted shook his head, " I don't care, Dromeda."

Andromeda felt the knot in her stomach loosen slightly. She moved closer to Ted and kissed him, holding his face to hers. His hand moved to her back as he kissed her back and Andromeda felt like she was going to melt out of her skin. Nothing had ever felt as right as this did.

In that moment, Andromeda didn't care what anyone said. There was no way this was wrong. They weren't Muggleborn and Pureblood. They were just Ted and Andromeda.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Andromeda woke up the next morning feeling happier than she had in a while. When she remembered the night before she smiled to herself and got dressed quickly.

" Hey where were you last night?" Alicia asked while Andromeda slipped her robes on.

" What?" Andromeda asked, being pulled out of her haze.

" You came in really late last night" Alicia said tying her Slytherin tie.

" It was like midnight" Emma said running a brush through her hair.

" Oh, I was in the hospital wing" Andromeda lied quickly, " my head was starting to hurt again and Madam Pompfrey wanted to watch me for a little white to make sure it had healed properly"

" Oh," Alicia said putting on her robes, " Was it okay?"

" Yeah" Andromeda nodded, " I just wanted to make sure"

The three girls walked out of the dormitory and Andromeda realized for the first time that she was lying to them. It was strange, Andromeda had an entire life that they knew nothing about. It occurred to her how little Alicia and Emma actually knew about her.

She had been friends with them almost her whole and they still thought she was a more toned down version of Bellatrix. They had no idea how wrong she was.

They walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table.

Andromeda looked up at the table and let her glance drift to the Hufflepuff table. Ted had just sat down with Alfie. He was smiling and laughing at something Alfie had told him.

He looked up and saw her looking at him. He smiled his crooked grin at her and winked.

Andromeda had to resist the urge to laugh, so she just smiled.

" Hey earth to Andromeda" Emma said trying to get her attention.

" Huh?" Andromeda asked looking away from the table and back at Emma.

" We were talking about Malfoy's new haircut and you completely zoned out on us" Alicia told her.

Andromeda looked over to the fourth years where Malfoy was sitting. His normally shoulder length blonde hair was cut into a now short cropped haircut.

" I like it" Andromeda told them, " His hair before was so annoying, he always had to tie it back with that horrible green ribbon"

" Thats what I said" Alicia told her, " Emma doesn't agree"

" I like long hair on boys" Emma said shrugging.

Andromeda giggled, " Well Emma, Dumbledore's got pretty long hair, what do you think of him?"

" Oi, shut it Black" Emma said spreading butter on her crumpet.

Andromeda finished her breakfast with her friends and found she was in a much better.

A few minutes before it ended, she looked up at the Hufflepuff table again and caught Ted's eye. He grinned at her and nodded his head towards the exit.

Andromeda nodded her head and Ted got up from the Hufflepuff table and walked out of the hall.

" I actually think I left my Potions book in the library" Andromeda said getting up from the table, " I'm going to go check"

" Okay" Alicia said, " I'll see you in Transfiguration"

Andromeda nodded and left the hall. Most of the school was still in there eating. Ted was standing at the end of the corridor and gestured for her to follow him around the corner.

She did and she followed him into an empty classroom, shutting the door behind her.

" Hey" she said smiling.

Ted grinned at her and walked over to her, " Hello, beautiful".

Andromeda rolled her eyes, as Ted grinned crookedly.

He moved closer to her and kissed her. Andromeda felt her entire body relax against his, as her mouth moved towards his.

They broke apart and Andromeda smiled at him.

" You know, it's kind of fun watching you stare at me from the Slytherin table" Ted told her.

Andromeda rolled her eyes at him, " I did not stare at you" she told him.

Ted grinned, " Oh, no. Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe you were looking at Alfie not me"

" I was actually," Andromeda told him, " he's quite the attractive guy-"

Ted kissed her again to stop her from talking.

" That's not funny" he told her when they broke apart, " I'm a fragile egoed young man, and you have already ditched me once"

" I never ditched you" Andromeda told him.

" No you just ran out after I kissed you, that was worse actually" Ted told her.

Andromeda sighed, " I want do it again, okay?"

Ted nodded, " Good".

They heard the bell that signaled their first class. Andromeda groaned. She didn't want to go.

" I have Transfiguration, so I have to go" Andromeda reminded him.

Ted sighed, " I have Divination"

Andromeda laughed, " You take divination?" she asked in disbelief.

" Yes, why?" Ted asked her.

" Nothing," Andromeda said shaking her head, " It's just, are you trying to read your future in tea leaves"

Ted frowned at her, " Are you insulting my chosen electives, Andromeda?"

" Yes, I am" Andromeda told him, " Divination is rubbish"

" Get to class Andromeda, before McGonagall yells at you for being late" Ted told her.

Andromeda rolled her eyes, " One day into the relationship and you're already bossing me around"

She leaned up and kissed him quickly before she darted out of the classroom and walked quickly to Transfiguration. She was almost late. She was the last student to enter the classroom.

" Almost late there, Black" Hestia said as she sat down in her seat.

" Oh, shut it Jones" Andromeda said taking her boot out of the bag.

Professor McGonagall introduced the lesson for the day. They were learning how to conjure birds.

Professor McGonagall showed them how to do it and then set them off to do it on their own.

" So what happened last night?" Hestia asked.

Andromeda shook her head, " Not here"

Hestia looked behind her. All of the other students were too busy trying to conjure the birds.

Andromeda shook her head again and Hestia rolled her eyes.

" Fine, we'll use code. What happened with the badger?" she asked.

" The badger, really?" Andromeda asked her, " That's the best you could come up with?"

Hestia narrowed her eyes, " I swear to Merlin, if you do not tell me what happened I will shout it to the entire room"

Andromeda sighed and told her, " So we talked and we decided to try it"

Hestia made a noise of excitement that sounded so shrill, Andromeda elbowed her.

" That's great, Andromeda. You were worried for nothing" Hestia exclaimed.

Andromeda shrugged, " Hestia, it's been twelve hours, there's still more than enough time for one of us to screw it up"

" But you wont!" Hestia told her, " there's too much at stake"

Andromeda laughed, " Nothing like a little bit of pressure"

Hestia laughed, " I see it Andromeda, I am going to be at your wedding"

Andromeda looked at her with wide eyes and laughed, " Since when did you become a seer?"

" About five seconds ago" Hestia told her.

Andromeda laughed and raised her wand attempting to create the flock of birds from her wand. It was hard, seeing as she wasn't concentrating.

By the end of the period, she had only managed to do it once, so she knew she would have to spend tonight working on it.

She said goodbye to Hestia, gathered her things and walked to Care of Magical Creatures. It was nice out today, not as bitterly cold as it had been a fews days before.

The class period consisted of trying to work with Hippogriffs. Andromeda was thrilled seeing as she loved them so much. The Hippogriff that Hogwarts had was named Crudeclaw and it was a very easily agitated animal. Several people had gotten scratched even after bowing.

Both Andromeda and Alfie hung back, too afraid to approach it.

" I dare you to go to do it" Alfie told her.

Andromeda looked at the huge animal with trepidation.

" I don't know" she said watching it snap it's beak at the mouse on the ground in front of it.

He raised his eyebrow at her and she sighed walking over to the great bird.

She bowed in front of him and the Hippogriff bowed back.

She took a step forward and Professor Grubbly watched as she reached out to stroke the animals head.

" That is such an ugly bird" Rita Skeeter cried from a few feet back.

The bird had obviously heard her and since they didn't react well to insults, it stood quickly and raised it's claws in front of her.

She jumped backwards and moved from it, while the beast moved past her and scratched Rita.

" You alright, Ms. Skeeter?" Professor Grubbly asked her, " do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

Rita scowled and nodded, She and Mafalda Hopkirk walked away from the rest of the class and towards the castle, heading to the to the Hospital wing.

Alfie and Andromeda spent the rest of the class detailing the Hippogriff's body parts on parchment. Andromeda found that Alfie was very easy to spend time with. It didn't surprise her that they got along so well, he was a lot like Ted.

By the time lunch rolled around, Andromeda was exhausted.

She sat down at the Slytherin table next to Alicia and Emma and listened as they talked intently about how they fight Alicia and Evan had gotten into about their plans for the Easter holiday.

" I mean you guys will be fine" Emma told Alicia, " you've been together forever, and you're perfect"

Alicia nodded, " I know that, it's just he's being so frustrating"

" I'm sure you guys will figure it out" Andromeda told her. Evan and Alicia had already had every fight possible, so Andromeda was sure they would be able to work it out.

" Well, " Alicia said taking a bit of her sandwich, " I mean you don't really have much experience with that, Andromeda"

Andromeda blinked at her, " What do you mean?"

Alicia frowned and ran her hands through her hair, " It's just, I mean the only really guy you talked to was Rabastan and that only lasted a few days" Alicia said trailing off.

Andromeda raised her eyebrow at Alicia. She hadn't said anything about herself, she was only trying to be supportive.

And instead Alicia had chosen to bring up Andromeda's lack of experience.

" I just wanted to help, Lic" Andromeda told her.

Alicia smiled, " Yeah of course, sorry. Evan is just driving me mad"

Andromeda smiled, accepting Alicia's half hearted apology. She wasn't really in the mood to get into it with her today.

When everyone finished, Alicia, Emma, and Andromeda walked together to the dungeons for Potions.

Emma and Alicia were chatting nonstop about the upcoming Hogsmeade visit and Andromeda found that she wasn't really paying attention. She was too anxious for potions. She would be sitting next to Ted the entire time and hoped they were going to be able to stay inconspicuous.

She walked into the dungeon and saw that Ted was already sitting at their usual seats. Andromeda sat down and looked forward. She let her glance wander to him for a second. He was looking forward, the way he usually did.

It was so strange to her. The were sitting here the way they always did and only hours before, they had changed everything.

The corners of Ted's mouth upturned into a smile as he stared at Slughorn and Andromeda did her best to hide her own grin.

" Good Morning Students!" Professor Slughorn bellowed loudly, " today we will be attempting to brew Amortentia, and it is a devilishly tricky spell to brew, so I urge you all to pay close attention"

Slughorn began detailing exactly how to brew the potion. It was one of the more complicated ones that they had brewed that year. When Slughorn finished explaining it, he told them all to turn to the correct page and start preparing their potions.

Andromeda set up her cauldron and began adding ingredients. Both she and Ted reached for the bottle of newt tails at the same time. His hand brushed over hers and Andromeda felt her cheeks turn slightly pink.

Ted grinned and slid the bottle to her.

" I don't mean to alarm you" he said quietly, looking at the potion he was staring, " but Hestia is quite literally staring at us"

Andromeda looked up at the table that Hestia shared with Rabastan. Hestia was staring right at them with a wide grin. She gave Andromeda a thumbs up and turned back to her potion.

Andromeda sighed and looked to Ted who had an eyebrow raised.

" I may have told her" Andromeda said quietly, adding the wings to her cauldron.

Ted made a face, " I'm shocked you told anyone"

Andromeda bit her lip nervously. She was shocked too. She hadn't known why Hestia had been the one person she felt she needed to tell, but she was glad she had.

" You should be happy I did" Andromeda told him, " or I probably would have gone back to ignoring you"

A wide smiled broke out onto Ted's face and then it disappeared.

Alicia was looking over at their table and Ted, realizing this, had stopped.

" Remind me to thank Hestia, next time I see her" Ted told Andromeda.

Andromeda couldn't help it and smiled slightly.

The next few weeks were some of the best that Andromeda had ever had. Being with Ted had made her indescribably happy. He understood her so well, and more than that, he challenged her. She had never felt like more of her own person than when she was Ted.

But hiding it proved to be harder than either of them thought. The only time they could ever be together without anyone watching was once a week during their patrols. Besides that, they had to get really creative to see each other. They met in empty classrooms and on the grounds after curfews. It had been difficult to arrange time to see each other, but it had been worth it. Spending time together, made Andromeda happier than she had been in a while. Though it did complicate her life. She was constantly lying to Bellatrix and her friends, coming up with ridiculous excuses for why she was always disappearing. It could be exhausting. It made her wish that they could just be like a normal couple. One that didn't have to hide in empty rooms.

The most difficult part for Andromeda so far had been that they couldn't do anything together. She watched other inter house couples sit with each other at lunch or in the library and Andromeda felt herself wishing that she could be like them.

The upcoming Hogsmeade weekend had also depressed Andromeda slightly. She could think of nothing she wanted more than to sit with Ted in the Three Broomsticks and have some butterbeer, but they couldn't do that. So while most of the other Hogwarts students anxiously awaited the weekend. Andromeda found herself dreading it. She figured she would just end up spending the day with Alicia and Emma, or maybe Bellatrix.

After breakfast on Saturday, the three girls left the Great Hall and walked out of the castle towards the entrance to Hogsmeade.

A group of Hufflepuffs walked by them and Andromeda noticed that Ted was among them. They caught eachother's eye and when he walked past her, he slipped a piece of folded parchment into her jacket pocket.

Andromeda stuck her hand in her pocket excitedly and let her hand close around the not.

She waited until the three of them were in a tight crowd near Professor McGonagall to open the note quickly and read. Ted's quick handwriting was scribbled across the page, and Andromeda smiled at it fondly.

Dromeda,

Meet me on the big rock by the woods at 11:30

you're favorite Hufflepuff

Andromeda shoved the note back into her pocket and could barely contain her smile. She had been so depressed that she wouldn't be able to spend the day with Ted, and now he had found a way that they could. Andromeda only had an hour to kill until she had to meet him, so she followed Alicia and Emma around some of the shops, watching them look at new Witch Weekly potions and eagle feather quills.

Five minutes before Andromeda was supposed to meet Ted, she turned to her two friends who were perusing the new parchment for sale.

" I think I'm going to go" she told them.

They both looked at her in confusion.

" But we haven't even gone to the three broomsticks" Emma said frowning.

Andromeda shrugged, " I'm not really in the mood for butterbeer" she lied, " you two should just go"

Alicia shook her head and laughed, " I swear Andromeda, you are always disappearing on us"

" I just want to look at the First Edition books in the bookshop" Andromeda told them, " and I know how much you guys hate that"

" That's true" Alicia said wrinkling her nose, " you go"

Andromeda, thrilled with how easy that was, said goodbye to them both and left the shop. She walked down the main street of shops and walked all the way to the end of it, towards the residences.

She kept walking past the last house and towards the woods.

She had only been here one other time, when she had been mad at Alicia for bullying the Muggleborn in Hogsmeade, and ironically Ted had come after her.

She walked through the first cluster of trees and stopped at the large rock that overlooked the shrieking shack. Ted was sitting there waiting for her. He had two bottles of butterbeer in his hands and he was looking forward. He hadn't seen her coming, so she crouched behind him and put her hands over his eyes and kissed his neck.

" Oh Charity" Ted moaned, " you know how that gets to me"

" That's not funny" Andromeda told him dropping her hands.

Ted was grinning at her , " On the contrary, I thought it was hilarious"

Andromeda rolled her eyes at him and sat down beside him on the rock.

" Oh don't pout" Ted said noticing her face, " I was kidding"

" I know" Andromeda told him, " just don't use her. You did ask her to Slughorn's ball"

" Dromeda," Ted said looking at her with his crooked smile, " I much prefer my cunning little Slytherin"

Andromeda smiled and Ted wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him so she was curled up against his chest.

" Here" he said handing her the unopened butterbeer.

Andromeda took it gratefully and took a large sip from it. She had been craving butterbeer like mad.

" Thank you" she told happily, " I wanted one desperately"

Ted laughed, " You should have seen the look that the barmaid gave me. I ordered two to go and then headed off into the woods by myself. I looked like a real duffer"

Andromeda giggled slightly, " Well thank you, I really do appreciate it"

" You're lucky I like you so much" Ted told her and she moved closer to him. Ted used his free hand to hold Andromeda's and she laced her fingers with his, she couldn't help but think that she had never been this comfortable before.

" Do you think that place is really haunted?" she asked him, gesturing to the shrieking shack.

Ted looked at it and frowned, " I don't know, a lot of the villagers say they hear moans and screams coming from it a lot. But I don't know if it's actually haunted. It could just be a legend"

Andromeda frowned too and studied it further, " Yeah, maybe"

" Do you think it's haunted?" Ted asked her, before taking a sip of his butterbeer.

" Yes" Andromeda answered quickly.

Ted grinned at her, " Do you want to take a closer look at it?" he asked.

Andromeda bit her lip, not wanting to seem scared, but also terrified of what might be lingering near it.

" Come on" Ted encouraged her.

Andromeda sighed, " Fine".

Ted laughed and they both got two their feet and walked down the sloping forest ground and coming closer to the the shack.

A twig snapped behind them and Andromeda turned around quickly, her hair fanning out behind her.

" What was that?" she asked Ted quickly.

Ted let a small laugh, " It was nothing. You're acting as scared as a Ravenclaw"

Andromeda crossed her arms and looked at him trying not to laugh.

" What?" Ted asked her.

She laughed, " Ted, you know that phrase is scared as a Hufflepuff, right?"

He gave her a knowing look and rolled his eyes " Yes, but it is an incorrect unwarranted phrase so I have edited it so that it is more accurate"

" Oh have you?" Andromeda asked him.

Ted nodded, " I've found my version is much more true, and doesn't reflect the Hogwarts cultural stereotypes of Hufflepuffs"

Andromeda wrinkled her nose in false disgust, " Ew, Hufflepuffs"

Ted grinned, " I know, and you know what's worse than a Hufflepuff? A muggleborn Hufflepuff" he joked.

Andromeda nodded, " Oh those are the worst" she agreed.

Ted grinned, " Imagine voluntarily spending time with one"

Andromeda was about to continue the bit, but as she walked forward, she slipped on a pile of leaves and tumbled forward, scraping her hand on a branch.

" You okay?" Ted asked her, walking over and helping her up.

Andromeda nodded and looked at the inside of her hand. It was bleeding slightly.

" Oh, gross it's bleeding" she said looking away from the cut.

" Hold on" Ted said taking her wrist, " I've got a band aid".

" A what?" Andromeda asked him as he reached into his jacket pocket.

What was he talking about, he had used a word Andromeda had never heard before.

" A bandaid" Ted told her, opening a small white rectangular piece of paper and pulling out a flesh covered sticker with a piece of cloth on the inside.

Andromeda had no idea what it was for, she was just going to take out her wand and heal it, but Ted took her hand and placed the bandaid over the cut.

" That's so weird" Andromeda said examining the sticker that now covered her cut.

" You've never seen a bandaid before?" Ted asked her in disbelief.

Andromeda shook her head and ran her fingers over it again.

" You're kidding right?" he asked her.

" Nope" Andromeda told him, " Is it common in the muggle world?"

Ted let out a quick laugh, " Very common" he told her.

" They're fascinating" Andromeda said touching it again, " I like them"

She looked up to see Ted was grinning at her.

" What?" Andromeda asked him, moving her fingers from the bandage

" Nothing" Ted said shaking his head, " you're just cute"

Andromeda smiled, " I think these bandaids are my second favorite muggle made thing"

" If bandaids are your second, then what's your first?" Ted asked.

" You, actually" Andromeda told him.

Ted groaned at her bad joke and then let out a small chuckle.

Andromeda moved closer to him and kissed him. Ted kissed her back, moving his mouth against hers and letting his hands find their way to her waist.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Ted hesitated and pulled away from her for a second.

" Are you trying to distract me from the fact that you're still to scared to go look at the shrieking shack?" he asked her.

" Forget the shack" Andromeda told him, " this is much more fun"

Ted grinned and pulled her back to him, kissing her more enthusiastically.

The stood there for a few minutes, kissing in the woods.

When they broke apart, Ted was smiling.

" I have a question" Ted told her, " seeing as most of my house is in Hogsmeade right now, and the first and second years are off enjoying the grounds, the common room is completely empty. Any chance you want to see how the Hufflepuff's slum it?"

Andromeda bit her lip, she did want too, but she was afraid someone would see her.

Then an idea came to her.

" What if I got an invisibility cloak?" Andromeda asked him.

Ted blinked at her in shock, " That would be very convenient but where would you get one? I don't exactly think that's the kind of thing you can pick up at Zonkos"

Andromeda already knew where she could find one.

" I can get one" she told him, " I'll meet you outside of your common room in a few minutes okay?"

Ted looked at her like she had three heads, but he nodded.

They both walked out of the forest and walked down to the village on opposite sides of the hill, so no one would suspect they had been together.

Ted and her both ended up on the main street, but he headed back to the castle, while Andromeda stayed in the village. It was still early and most of the school was still crowded in the village.

Andromeda had heard Bellatrix complain about a hundred times that Sirius had been getting away with pulling all of his pranks because he had used an invisibility cloak.

Andromeda figured if she could find him, she could probably convince him to let her borrow it.

She checked Zonko's first, but he wasn't in there, so she walked into the three broomsticks, hoping he would be in there.

She walked into the crowded pub and noticed that every table was filled with Hogwarts students. In the far back booth, Andromeda spotted Sirius. He was sitting on the end of the table that he shared with James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, his four best friends.

Andromeda walked over to him and stopped in front of their table.

All four of the boys stopped talking the second she walked over.

" Andromeda!" Sirius said happily, " what are you doing here? Guys, you know my cousin Andromeda"

Andromeda smiled at them and turned to Sirius.

" Can I talk to you about something?" she asked quickly.

Sirius nodded and got up from the table, telling his friends that he would be right back. He and Andromeda walked to the very far corner of the pub away from the rest of the patrons.

" Andromeda, what's up. Why do you look like you've just killed Bellatrix" Sirius asked her.

" Ha ha" Andromeda told him, and he shrugged saying " I can dream".

" I actually want to ask a favor of you" Andromeda told him, " I was wondering if I could borrow your invisibility cloak"

Sirius blinked at her, " What do you need an invisibility cloak for?"

Andromeda bit her lip in hesitation. She was hoping he wasn't going to ask her.

" I can't exactly tell you" she said quickly.

Sirius raised his eyebrow at her, " Andromeda, I'm hurt. I'm supposed to be your favorite in the family"

Andromeda sighed, and decided that if there was anyone in the family besides Uncle Alphard that she could trust, it was Sirius.

She took a deep breath, " Well, I need it so that I can sneak into Hufflepuff's Common Room"

Sirius eyed her with confusion, " Why?"

Andromeda sighed and looked at him in the eyes, " If you repeat this Sirius, I swear to Merlin, I will tell every girl in Gryffindor about how you used to wet the bed up until first year." she said and took a deep breath, " I need to borrow the invisibility to cloak to go into the Hufflepuff Common Room and see my muggleborn boyfriend"

Sirius' eyes widened to the size of saucers and he let out a loud laugh, " This is bloody brilliant, An. You're a Bloodtraitor Black too now!"

" Please keep quiet about this Sirius" Andromeda snapped, " I'm not kidding"

Sirius grinned, " I will, and hold on the cloak is with James, I'll get it for you"

Sirius disappeared back to the booth and came back a moment later clutching a silvery cloak in his hands.

" Thank you" Andromeda said as he handed it to her, and pulled her younger cousin into a tight hug.

Sirius grinned, " Now get out of here" he told her, " you've got someone waiting for you"

Andromeda grinned and left the The Three Broomsticks clutching the cloak under her jacket.

She practically ran to the castle. She checked in with Filch at the door and then made her way to the Hufflepuff Common Room entrance.

Ted was standing there awkwardly. He smiled when he saw her.

" Did you get it?" he asked her.

Andromeda grinned and pulled the silvery cloak out of her hands and wrapped it around herself watching her head and body disappear from sight.

" That is brilliant" Ted said staring at the place where Andromeda had been standing a moment ago.

He nudged the painting of the horse in front of them and it opened. Andromeda followed after him into the common room.

The Hufflepuff common room was unlike anything Andromeda had ever seen at Hogwarts. It was bright and sunny and the entire room was made of a worn wood. There were several large fireplaces and squishy couches, with potted plants on every shelf and in every corner.

It had a very homey feel to it, and Andromeda felt instantly comforted by it.

There were a few first years still in the common room and Ted frowned slightly.

" All of my year is still in Hogsmeade" he whispered, " we could go to the dormitory"

Andromeda walked up behind, and because she was still invisible, gave him a push forward to tell him she wanted to.

Taking the hint, Ted walked towards the downward sloping staircase. He stopped two floors down and opened the door to the boy's sixth year dormitory.

Andromeda pulled the cloak off of her and followed him into the room.

The Hufflepuff dormitory was not cold and empty like the Slytherin ones. Instead it was cozy and warm. There were five, four poster beds with yellow covers and they were all position in front of massive tree trunks and clustered around a fireplace in the middle of the room.

Andromeda loved it.

" It's official" Andromeda told him, " your dormitories are way better than ours"

" Really?" Ted asked curiously sitting down on his bed. It was the furthest from the door.

Andromeda walked over and sat down next to him, " Much better. It's so cozy in here"

" Glad you like it" Ted told her.

" I love it" she told him.

Ted grinned, " It's definitely home"

He leaned back onto his bed and let his head fall onto his pillows. Andromeda laid down next to him and grasped his hand.

" Tell me more about your family" she told him quietly.

" My family?" Ted asked her.

Andromeda nodded. She had been with Ted for a few weeks now and while they had discussed everything else from their favorite book, secret ambitions, and guilty pleasures, the topic of family hadn't come up once.

Andromeda knew why. It was a sore subject. Ted already knew everything about her family and she was sure he despised all of them, but Ted's family. They were all muggles and Andromeda didn't want him to think that she didn't care.

" Well" Ted started, " My parents are Edward and Linda, they're both muggles and they work muggle jobs"

" Are you named Edward after your dad?" Andromeda asked him, referring to Ted's given name.

" Yeah" he told her, " they wanted to keep the tradition going. I personally don't like it"

" Why not?" Andromeda asked, " I like it. A lot actually"

Ted laughed, " Well if you like it so much, I'll tell you what. If we ever have a son, we can name him Edward"

Andromeda felt her entire body tense up and her throat closed. Ted noticed.

Andromeda sat up quickly. She had felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.

If they had been any other two people, the comment would have been light hearted, it would have ended with a laugh or kiss and both of the thrilled at the idea of a possible future together. But for Andromeda it only reminded her of how she could never have that. She and Ted would never be able to be married, and they could never have a son.

Ted sat up too, " Dromeda, I'm sorry. I didn't even realize what I was saying"

Andromeda wiped the tear from the corner of her eye,

" Don't apologize" she told him, " you shouldn't have too, It's just me. I shouldn't of reacted like that" she told him.

Ted sighed and pulled Andromeda against him. She let him wrap his arms around her and she buried her face in his shoulder.

He ran his hands over her hair and down her back.

" Maybe things will be different in a few years" he told her hopefully, " maybe things will change and it will be a world where we could actually get married, and have a baby"

Andromeda tried not to cry. She doubted that any amount of time would make the wizarding world more accepting of them, and even if some did, her family surely never would. But she didn't say this to Ted. Instead she nodded and told him, " Yeah, maybe"

Ted smiled and kissed her again. This time it was softer. He held her face to his and tried to cheer her up.

" Thank you" she told him. Ted smiled a small smile at her and she leaned against him.

" What about your sister?" Andromeda asked him. Ted wrapped her arms around her and let his hand fall on her knee.

" Suzie?" Ted asked.

Andromeda nodded, " I saw her on the platform, she was really cute"

" Yeah, she is" Ted said happily, " she's six and she's obsessed with horses and princesses"

" That's sweet" Andromeda told him, " do you guys get along?"

Ted nodded, " We have a big age difference so theres not really much to fight about"

Andromeda sighed. She had always craved an easy going family like Ted had.

" Must be nice" she said quietly.

" I know you and Bellatrix fight a lot" Ted said, " but what about Narcissa?"

Andromeda shrugged, " Cissy idolizes Bella, so she and I never really spent that much time together. The only family member I'm close to is Sirius"

" I like Sirius" Ted told her, " All of Hufflepuff does"

Andromeda laughed, " Sirius is definitely the most liked of the Blacks"

Ted frowned, " You know, I think I may like a Black better than Sirius"

Andromeda grinned, " Oh really?"

Ted nodded, " Yes, I think Bellatrix is really starting to grow on me"

Andromeda shoved Ted in the stomach, " That isn't even remotely cute or funny" she told him.

Ted rolled his eyes at her and kissed her on the cheek.

The sound of footsteps was heard above them, meaning some of the Hufflepuffs were coming back to their common room.

Andromeda sighed and got up, retrieving the invisibility cloak from the floor.

" I should go" Andromeda told him, wrapping the cloak around her body so that only her head was visible.

" What if you just stayed?" Ted asked her quietly.

Andromeda raised an eyebrow, " Do you want to explain to your dorm mates why Andromeda Black, evil Slytherin Pureblood is in your room?"

" You're not evil" Ted told her.

" Not the point" Andromeda told him, " I've got to go, they can't see me here"

Ted frowned and kissed her quickly, " See you, Dromeda"

" See you, Edward" she said and threw the invisibility cloak over her head.

She walked out of the room and crept quietly out of the Hufflepuff common room, which was now filling up with students.

Once she was in the corridor, she pulled the invisibility cloak off and rolled it up in her arms. She walked back up to the main corridor, where all of the students were coming back in from Hogsmeade.

Andromeda spotted Sirius walking with James, she walked over to them.

" Hey Andromeda" Sirius said with a wide grin.

" Hello, cousin" Andromeda said clutching the cloak in her hands.

" I just wanted to return this to you" Andromeda said handing him the cloak.

Sirius shook his head, " James and I have decided that your needs are greater than ours"

" You told him?" Andromeda asked icily.

She was ready to strangle Sirius and considered hexing him until James spoke up

" Don't blame him, Andromeda" James told her, " he didn't want too, but I basically forced it out of him"

Andromeda still eyed Sirius with a dirty look.

" Oh come on Andromeda, don't be mad." Sirius told her, " we both think what you're doing is great."

" Thanks" she said smiling at them both.

As much as she wanted to kill Sirius for telling someone. She figured James wouldn't say anything. He was like Sirius's brother, and Sirius had told her that he was a Pureblood who was in love with a muggleborn in their year too.

She took the cloak and walked back to her common room.

It had been one of the strangest days she had in a long time, but it was also one of the best. Andromeda really hoped that she and Ted would be able to make this work.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

If there was one thing that Andromeda had never thought she would be doing, it was celebrating Valentine's Day. The entire castle had turned into a fluffy, pink cloud. There were decorations everywhere and all of the Professors had made their lessons related to the day. In the morning Professor Flitwick had taught them all how to charm little hearts to follow everyone around the room, and Professor McGonagall had taught them all how to transfigure a block of wood into a box of chocolates.

Most of the student's were wary of eating them after Xenophilius lovegood bit into his and got splinters in his tongue.

In Care of Magical Creatures, Professor Grubbly Plank had them all studying doxies, because they mated for life. It ended up being a not very festive lesson, seeing as doxies were notorious for being misbehaved and ended up chasing half of the students around the grounds.

One of them knotted itself in Andromeda's hair and had to be hit with a book by Caradoc Dearborn before it would let go.

" Not very Valentines Day ish is it?" Alfie asked her.

Andromeda laughed, " Not at all" she said running her hand through her hair, where the Doxy had ripped out a few pieces.

" So, do you have any plans tonight?" Alfie asked her as they attempted to grab one of the doxies to study.

" Not really" Andromeda said picking up one of the doxies and studying their ear shape.

Truthfully, she and Ted had made plans to see each other tonight, but the story they were both sticking to was that they were going to study.

" Really? I would have thought you would have something to do tonight, or maybe someone to see" Alfie said putting his doxie back down on the ground.

Andromeda shook her head, " Nope"

Alfie shrugged and then looked at her again, " I guess you could just always study"

Andromeda's head shot up as she looked at him, and looked at the smile plastered on his face.

He knew. He had too. She was going to kill Ted.

" I am going to kill him" Andromeda said as the bell rang.

" Don't blame Ted" Alfie said, " it wasn't his fault"

Andromeda snatched her bag and walked down to the Great Hall for lunch. She sat down at the Slytherin table and sat across from Alicia and Evan, who it seemed were were embracing Valentine's day wholeheartedly. The two of them kept looking at each other and kissing.

She couldn't tell if it was her dislike for their sloppy public display of affection that was bothering her or the fact that she was jealous. Here were Alicia and Evan, two people who fought more than they got along and they were able to sit their happily, enjoying each other's company, while Ted and Andromeda had to hide in abandoned classrooms.

" One day, were both going to have someone like that" Emma told her.

Andromeda snorted into her pumpkin juice, trying not to laugh.

" Yeah, someday" Andromeda agreed.

Emma went on for the rest of the lunch period talking about how she wished Thomas would ask her to Hogsmeade for the next weekend.

Andromeda listened to her and gave her the appropriate head nods and Mmhms when necessary. When lunch was over, Andromeda walked with Emma behind Alicia and Evan. Emma kept looking over at the couple and smiling happily. Andromeda tried to do her best to look pleased with them, but she was getting bored of overhearing Alicia talk about baby names that went well with Evan's surname.

Andromeda walked into the room and sat down. Ted hadn't gotten there yet, so she sat down and took out her copy of Advanced Potion Making and opened it to the page that Professor Slughorn had written on the board.

Ted walked into the room and and took his seat next to Andromeda.

Slughorn was standing up front and looked like he was dripping with excitement as the idea of what they were doing today.

In order to keep in the spirit of Valentine's Day, he had decided that everyone was going to brew Amortentia. The love potion that smelled differently to everyone according to what attracted them.

As soon as they started brewing it, the entire room filled with different aromas, while everyone concentrated on brewing it correctly.

Everyone was so absorbed in their potions and the sound of the crackling fires was so loud that no one could hear anything besides the person next to them.

" So" Ted said stirring his potion, " are you excited for tonight?" he asked.

Andromeda smiled, " Very"

He smiled, " I don't want to brag, but you're going to love your present" he told her.

" Oh am I?" Andromeda asked watching her potion bubble.

Ted nodded, " You are"

" You're going to like yours too" she told him.

She had gotten him a pair of chasers gloves that had been worn previously by the Captain of the Puddlemore United.

Ted smiled and stirred his potion again.

Andromeda turned to him, " Did you tell Alfie?" she asked him remembering their conversation in Care of Magical Creatures.

Ted looked at her wide eyed and Andromeda saw him blush for the first time.

" No, I didn't tell him he just guessed" Ted said quietly.

Andromeda blinked in confusion, " He guessed?"

Ted bit his lip, " Yeah, he noticed that I was gone all the time and I stopped mentioning you and then I-" he stopped short.

He was blushing bright red now, and Andromeda couldn't help but think it was cute.

Ted looked down, pouting slightly, " I may have mentioned your name in my sleep and he may have heard it"

Andromeda grinned, " Do you dream about me Ted Tonks?" she asked slightly amused.

" Be quiet, Black" Ted said but she noticed he was grinning.

Andromeda's potion had been sitting a while and she noticed it was starting to have a smell.

It smelled good, like sugar quills and the forest behind Hogsmeade.

The scent was intoxicating. Andromeda realized her eyes had been closed and she was breathing it in.

Professor Slughorn wished them all a Happy Valentines day and told them to leave early.

Everyone gathered their things and got ready to leave.

" So, eight o clock in the Transfiguration room, right?" Andromeda asked Ted quietly.

Ted nodded and they both went their separate ways. She caught up with Emma and Alicia and together they walked to their Common Room.

" So did you get yours to work, Andromeda?" Alicia asked her.

" My potion?" Andromeda asked, " I don't think so"

" Mine either" Alicia said frowning.

They walked into the Common Room and sat down on one of the large couches.

" I have decided that I simply can not stand Marlene Mckinnon" Alicia said, putting her legs up on the table.

" The Gryffindor?" Emma asked.

Alicia nodded, " She's such a tramp"

" Hestia told me that she got hexed and her eyebrow hair grew uncontrollably" Andromeda told her.

Alicia rolled her eyes, " I don't like Hestia either"

Andromeda bit her lip nervously. She had forgotten how much her Slytherin housemates despised Hestia.

Andromeda was still trying to come up with a way to get Alicia to stop giving her that look, when Rabastan , Thomas, and Evan joined them.

" Hey ladies" Rabastan said sitting down beside Andromeda. He was sitting closer to her than she would have liked. His leg was practically pressed up against hers.

" So what were we talking about?" Evan asked.

" Gryffindor Bloodtraitors actually" Alicia told him, " Andromeda here, chats with Hestia"

" When were in Transfiguration" Andromeda said quickly.

As much as she liked Hestia, letting her housemates know she was too friendly with them with her wouldn't only make life harder for the both of them.

" All of the Gryffindors are bloodtraitors or mudbloods" Thomas told them, " any Pureblood that goes there turns into a mudlover"

" A what?" Emma asked.

" Mudlover" Thomas told her, " it's short for mudblood lover, you know like a Pureblood who goes with a mudblood. Like Potter, he's always chasing after that mudblood Evans"

" Ew" Alicia said shuddering, " what kind of Pureblood would go for a mudblood. That's disgusting"

Andromeda felt as though she was going to faint. There was a pounding in her head. She couldn't believe that they were talking about this. She was trying her best to act as calm as she could.

They all went on about their hatred for mudbloods until dinner and Andromeda just sat there, trying not to draw any attention to herself.

If she had any hope that her friends would accept her, it was gone now.

She sat quietly eating her dinner that night, not talking to anyone.

After dinner was over, she walked up to the second floor and into the Transfiguration room.

Ted was standing there, holding his wand over a large candle trying to get it lit.

" Hey, you're early!" Ted exclaimed, " I was going to set up the whole room, it was supposed to be a surprise"

Andromeda didn't respond, she just walked over to him and pulled him to her, kissing him. Ted dropped his wand on the table and placed his hands on her back.

When they broke apart, Ted grinned.

" and I haven't even given you your present yet" Ted said happily.

" Sorry" Andromeda said laughing slightly.

" You never have to apologize to me for doing that" Ted told her, " in fact, you can do that whenever you want"

Andromeda ran her hands through her hair and smiled. Ted was smiling happily.

" So what inspired this profession of affection?" he asked, " are you Andromeda Black giving into the spirit of Valentine's Day"

Andromeda shook her head, " I am just so happy that you're a Hufflepuff"

Ted stared at her strangely, " Are you drunk?" he asked her.

" What? No" she said quickly, " why would you even ask that?"

" You just told me that you're glad I am a Hufflepuff" Ted told her, holding her face and looking at her pupils.

" I'm not drunk, Ted" she said crossing her arms.

Ted stopped and held her face, running his thumbs over her cheeks.

" Alright, then I'm giving you your present" Ted said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a box.

Andromeda sat on the edge of one of the desks and took out her present to him too.

They handed each other them and they both opened them.

" Dromeda, Puddlemore united gloves? These are amazing" Ted said kissing the top of her head, " thank you"

" You're welcome" Andromeda told him, taking the lid off of the box in front of her.

She stopped when she saw what what was in it.

It was a gold charm bracelet and dangling from it was a gold charm. It was a television.

Andromeda didn't know what to say. It was the most meaningful gift anyone had ever given her.

" Do you like it?" he asked her.

Andromeda nodded her head quickly, " I love it"

Ted grinned, " Good because you don't know how many different stores I had to send my mom to, to find that"

Andromeda pulled him into a hug, " Thank you"

Ted smiled, " Come on, it was nothing, Dromeda"

She shook her head and took it out of the box, slipping it on her wrist.

" You don't have to wear it" Ted told her, " If you don't want to I mean, then you might have to tell people where you got it and I don't want to make anything complicated for you"

Andromeda shook her head, " I'm wearing it" she told him.

Ted smiled her favorite crooked smile, " I'm glad you like it"

Andromeda nodded and wrapped herself around him again. They spent the next hour sitting on the floor of the Transfiguration room, just talking. It was so nice for them to be able to just be together without worrying if anyone was looking or suspecting anything.

They didn't leave until five minutes before curfew. There was nothing Andromeda hated more than saying goodbye, because she never knew how long it was going to be before they were able to be alone together again. And she hated sitting in Potions and walking on Patrols pretending like they were nothing more than a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff who forced into spending time together.

As they got up to go back to their Common Rooms Ted took her hand and said " Happy Valentines Day, Dromeda"

" Happy Valentines Day, Ted" she told him.


	15. Chapter 15

The Sixth year Slytherins had all come back to their Common Room one night to find it littered with fluorescent green fliers detailing Apparition lessons that would take place on Tuesday night.

Andromeda couldn't wait for the lessons. She had been desperate to apparate ever since Bellatrix had learned to do it. It would make her life so much easier, not having to rely on her family or transportation like the Knight Bus.

" So what does it feel like when you first do it?" Andromeda asked Bellatrix. They were sitting on a couch together in the Common Room and Bellatrix was reading the latest copy of the prophet.

" I assume you're talking about Apparating" Bellatrix said with an eyebrow raised.

" Bella!" Andromeda said shoving her in the arm.

Bellatrix laughed, " Oh come on, Andromeda. Didn't you and Rabastan.." she trailed off.

Andromeda looked to make sure none of the surrounding Slytherins were listening in on their conversation. The closest person to them was a first year who was still several seats away.

" No" Andromeda said quietly, crossing her arms.

Bellatrix raised her eyebrow higher, " Andromeda, that means you haven't"

" Bella, stop" Andromeda said feeling her cheeks blush, " can we just please focus on apparition?"

Bellatrix laughed again and turned back to the prophet.

Andromeda hated discussing personal things with Bellatrix. She always some how made her feel small, and embarrassed. Especially about that.

Andromeda knew that Bellatrix had done it when she was fifteen, and both Alicia and Emma had in fifth year too. It was something that Andromeda didn't like to publicize.

" It's easy Andromeda, all you have to do is focus and you'll be fine" Bellatrix said closing the paper and joining the other seventh year Slytherins who had just walked in.

So on Tuesday night at eight o clock, all forty of the Hogwarts sixth years gathered outside of the Great Hall for their apparition lessons.

All of the students were gathered by house. Andromeda was surrounded by her fellow Slytherins who were all talking excitedly about learning to apparate.

The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were standing close to each other and were now engaged in friendly conversation.

Hestia and Emmeline were laughing with Ted and Alfie about something and Andromeda wished she could be over there with them instead of where she was.

Hestia caught her eye and smiled at her. She nudged Ted in the arm and nodded her head towards Andromeda.

Ted looked at her and winked.

Andromeda smiled at him for a second and then let her glance drift away.

She hated that she couldn't even smile at him for longer than a second.

" What are you staring over here for Mudblood?" Evan called to Tonks, " curious what superiority looks like?"

Ted crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, looking completely unamused.

" You know," Alicia said piping up, " I don't even know why you Mudbloods are here, you all probably won't even be able to apparate anyway"

Andromeda stared at her in disbelief.

" You've got to be fucking kidding me" Hestia said angrily from where she was standing, " I know years of inbreeding and ignorance has made you stupid, Nott. But even you can't be ignorant enough to believe that"

" How dare you, bloodtraitor!" Alicia snapped.

Hestia rolled her eyes at her, " That's honestly the best you can do?"

" You know all of you Slytherins are evil" Otto Bagman added, " I don't even know why your house exists, you're all going to end up dark anyhow"

Andromeda could feel herself shaking from the comments. She was staring at the floor, trying not to get involved, and she could feel Ted staring at her. She was avoiding the glances of both the other houses and the Slytherins.

She knew that she should be agreeing with the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs, they were right after all. The things that some of the Slytherins were saying were horrible, but she also felt the need to defend her house. Not every single one of them were evil. She didn't agree with what they were saying.

Luckily , she didn't have to say anything.

The doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall ushered them all in. The Slytherins kept throwing dirty glances over at the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students.

The house tables had been removed from the Great Hall, and it was now empty except for two sets of forty rings that were placed on the floor several feet apart from each other.

There were two Ministry of Magic employees standing in front of all the rings. They were both smiling fondly at the students as the huddled around them.

" Welcome!" One of them said boldly, " I am Freginald Wallanby and I will be attempting to teach you all to apparate today"

The witch beside him said nothing, so the wizard continued talking.

" I'm sure you are all very excited to begin but before we start I'd like to discuss a few things about apparatting and what one must do to be able to do it effectively. To begin with, One must be completely determined to reach one's destination, and move without haste, but with deliberation.

As such, it is important to remember those three D's. Determination, Destination, and Deliberation. These will hopefully prevent you from getting splinched"

The wizard walked over to the first set of hoops and eyed them all carefully.

" Today, the object will be to for you to stand in one of the first hoops and apparate into the corresponding one in front of it" he said circling the group again.

" So everyone find a hoop" he told them.

All of the sixth years moved quickly to find an open hoop. Andromeda ended up in one with Alicia on one side and Hestia on the other, a fact that obviously irritated Alicia.

" Excited to be able to escape your evil house with a quick pop?" Hestia asked her quickly.

" Hestia" Andromeda said, " you can't apparate in Hogwarts"

Hestia shrugged, " It would be nice though, huh?"

Andromeda rolled her eyes at her and turned back to the ministry wizard who was now telling them to start concentrating on the other hoop.

She tried to focus as hard as she could on the hoop across the room from her, but nothing happened. Most of the students were red in the face as they concentrated on trying to make themselves reappear across the room.

On one side, Hestia was completely red in the face as she stared at her hoop with a strange intensity, and on the other Alicia was practically glaring at the hoop as if her sheer anger and determination would be enough to do it.

It continued on like that for a half hour until Xenophilius managed to appear near his hoop, but his left leg had remained behind and he had to be brought to the Hospital Wing. He wasn't the only one, Alfie had left a piece of his shoulder behind and Erasmus had lost a finger.

Only Rita Skeeter had managed to do it successfully so far. Andromeda stared at the hoop in front of her and focused intently. She let her eyes slip closed and she felt a painful tug and the quick sensation of suffocation before she realized she was in the other hoop.

She smiled broadly thrilled that she had been able to do it.

" Good job, Black" Ted said as he apparatted into the one beside her.

" Not so bad yourself, Tonks" Andromeda told him before apparating back to her original hoop. After getting it that first time, Andromeda spent the next hour apparating back and forth, to the irritation of Emma and Alicia, who were still scowling that Muggleborns and Bloodtraitors had managed to do it before them.

Andromeda had done her best to ignore these conversations. She seemed to be making a habit of that lately.

" I think that's enough for today" the wizard said after a few more people had managed to do it.

" As soon as you turn seventeen, or if you are seventeen already, please make an appointment at the apparition office in the Department of Magical Transportation and we would be happy to administer the test so you all can receive your licenses."

There was a shuffle as everyone stepped out of the hoops that they were standing in and walked back over to their friends.

" You got that so quickly" Emma told Andromeda.

Andromeda smiled at her, " I got some advice from Bellatrix yesterday" she told her.

Emma beamed. She adored Bellatrix, something that Andromeda found to be strange and that thoroughly annoyed her sister.

" Listen you guys" Alicia said coming over, " Evan is taking me somewhere so I'll back to the dormitory late okay?"

She looked like she was bubbling over with excitement.

" Okay" Emma said happily, " Have fun"

Alicia grinned and wiggled her eyebrows, " Oh, I will"

Andromeda and Emma were left standing together, and Andromeda didn't fancy spending the rest of the evening listening to Emma babble on about her Pureblood husband prospects so she decided to tell her she was going to the library to finish a Potions essay.

Truthfully, she had finished the essay the day before, but even sitting in the library reading the spines of books seemed more interesting than spending it with Emma.

So Andromeda walked towards the library. She was slightly distracted thinking about the soonest time she would be able to schedule an appointment with the apparition office, that she didn't notice the broom closet next to her open until the person inside had wrapped their arms around her and pulled her in.

The person's hand was over her mouth so she couldn't scream and she instinctively reached for her wand drawing it on her attacker.

The door closed and from the light, Andromeda saw Ted's illuminated face. He was grinning.

" Where you going to hex me, Dromeda?" he asked cheekily, his smile spreading.

Andromeda frowned and tried to wriggle out of his grip, but he just pulled her closer.

" You scared the mickey out of me" Andromeda said shoving him in the shoulder.

Ted let out a throaty laugh, " I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of anything else, it's not like I can just walk up to you"

He was joking, but as he said the last part, she thought she sensed a sadness to his tone.

" Well I'm here now" she said brightly, trying to pick up his spirits, " in this broom closet, really is that what we've come to, making out in a broom closet?"

Ted grinned, " I didn't say anything about making out, my it seems Andromeda Black is quite eager to kiss her filthy mudblood boyfriend"

Andromeda shrugged, " What can I say? I'm the Black Sheep of the family"

Ted chuckled again and pulled her face towards his and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around him, and they leaned back again the closet wall. The space was very crowded and one of Andromeda's feet was in a bucket, but neither of them cared. They were too happy to be with each other.

" You know" Andromeda said when they broke apart, the smallness of the closet still keeping them inches from each other " I think I prematurely judged this closet. I kind of like it"

" Very kinky" Ted agreed with a wide smile.

He sat down and moved the bucket aside so Andromeda could sit beside him. It was a tight space, but she liked it. She was leaning against him and her head dropped on her shoulder.

" Thank you" she told him, " you saved me from an evening of staring at the library walls"

" Why weren't you going to your common room?" he asked her.

" Alicia was going out with Evan" Andromeda told him, " so I would have had to sit there and listen to Emma go on and on about how mad she was at her mother for not choosing a husband for her" Andromeda said with a irritated shake of her head.

Ted looked confused, " Why would her mother pick out a husband for her?" he asked.

Andromeda frowned. She hadn't meant to let that slip, because she didn't want to have to explain it to him. It was one of the more stupid Pureblood traditions and she wasn't exactly proud to be associated with it.

" Well" Andromeda started, " For most Pureblood families, the parents have a sort of casual arranged marriage. It's not written in stone, but it's kind of assumed that you will end up with that person"

Ted stared at her in disbelief, and didn't say a word so Andromeda kept talking.

" Its usually decided later, around when you are of age. Like Evan and Alicia, or Bellatrix and Rodolphus" she said quickly.

Ted was still blank faced, " That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard, they don't even let them choose who they end up with? That's ridiculous"

Andromeda nodded in agreement. It was one of the things that bothered her most about Pureblood culture.

" Wait" Ted said quickly, " You aren't matched with anyone are you?"

Andromeda was silent. She didn't want to answer the question. She knew he wouldn't like the answer.

" Are you?" Ted asked again quietly.

Andromeda sighed, " My parents and the Lestranges have a sort of nonverbal agreement that Rabastan and I will get married"

Ted stared at her, with a look like he had been slapped.

" I have no choice in that, you know" Andromeda added quickly, " it's not something I want"

Ted nodded, " I know. I just need a second to process it"

Andromeda sat silently and watched as his facial expression changed and he looked less upset. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, so that she was sitting against his chest.

He kissed the top of her head and Andromeda held his hands in hers.

" Let's talk about something happier" she told him, interlacing her fingers in his.

Ted smiled, " How about the truly inspiring and simultaneously horrifying tale of how Alfred Cattermole attempted to ask out Emmeline Vance"

" Yes" Andromeda said quickly in excitement, " I can't believe you waited this long, you should have started with that"

" Really?" Ted asked sarcastically, " I thought the snogging was more than satisfactory"

" I think they're equal" Andromeda said with a wide smile.

Ted rolled his eyes and told Andromeda the laughter inducing story of how Alfie had walked up to Emmeline in the corridor after Apparition lessons to asked her out and got so terrified he fainted.

The story had both of them in tears, but Andromeda couldn't help but wish that she had been there, rather than having to walk with the Slytherins.

Something very strange happened over the next few weeks. Something that Andromeda never would have thought possible. Slytherin house had become even more secluded from the rest of the school. It was unclear exactly how it had started. Many people swore it was a fight between the Lestranges and the Weasleys, while some claimed it was a fight between Alicia and Hestia. Whatever the reason, the Slytherins had become even more hostile to the other houses and now no member of the house was allowed to socialize with anyone of another house. The Slytherins all stuck together, with their noses raised high in the air, walking with a sense of superiority. Andromeda thought the whole thing was incredibly stupid. Especially because it made her life so much more difficult. Now she was expected to ignore Alfie, Hestia, and Ted in her classes. For most of the Slytherins, it didn't change their life much, but for Andromeda it posed a huge annoyance. Even sneaking to see Ted was more difficult now, seeing as all of the Slytherins were spending their free time gathered in the common room together, and Andromeda's disappearances were starting to be noticed.

The weirdest part of all of it was the new inter-house unity that had formed throughout the emerald house. All of the Slytherins, mostly the Purebloods, had banded together and were spending more time together than ever. Which left Andromeda spending all of her time sitting in between Rabastan and Alicia.

The Slytherins had even decided the best way to commemorate their new unity was to have a party in the Slytherin common room. Unlike Gryffindor's party, the Slytherin one was exclusively for Slytherins.

Andromeda was dreading it. She highly doubted that a room full of Slytherins would be any more interesting when they were all tossed from firewhiskey.

" So why exactly are you going then?" Hestia asked her in the library. She was sitting across from her while she finished her Charms essay.

Hestia and Andromeda usually hung out in the library together. Hestia was never doing schoolwork but it was one of the few places that the two could hang out together.

" If I don't people will start to get suspicious" Andromeda said scribbling on the parchment in front of her.

Hestia grinned and bit into her chocolate frog, " In case they find out about your secret lover"

" Exactly" Andromeda said. She wouldn't have worded it that way herself, but Hestia was right. Andromeda was lying and sneaking out on her housemates so often that she couldn't afford to draw any more attention to herself. And not showing up to a party that most of the Slytherins were looking forward to would make her look especially suspicious.

" So what does a Slytherin party even look like?" Hestia asked biting into a chocolate frog.

Andromeda shrugged, " I wouldn't know, I don't think they've ever had one besides for Quidditch"

Hestia laughed loudly, " Figures, most of your house is boring anyway"

Andromeda rolled her eyes while Hestia laughed quietly.

" How's Ted anyway?" Hestia asked quietly, " are you two good?"

Andromeda smiled, " We're great"

Hestia ran her hands through her hair and grinned, " You two are cute together, as surprising and unlikely as it is"

Andromeda laughed, " That's what everyone likes to hear about their relationship thats it surprising and unlikely"

Hestia smiled, " Well to be fair, you two might be the first Slytherin and Hufflepuff couple at Hogwarts"

" There's no way that's true" Andromeda said scribbling something on the parchment in front of her.

" I can't think of a single other in the last six years. In fact, I can't even think of a single Slytherin in the last six years who has gone out with anyone other than a Slytherin"

Andromeda blinked. She had never thought about it in depth before, but she also couldn't think of any Slytherin inter house relationships.

Slytherins always kept to themselves in their personal lives. Probably because so many of them were Purebloods and already knew who their options were by the time they were of age. It was kind of horrifying for Andromeda to think about.

The two of them sat there talking until the library closed. The Slytherins party had just began and Andromeda walked into the common room to find most of her house clustered together with firewhiskey. The lights had been dimmed and the room was dark apart from white sparkling lights that someone had charmed from the ceiling.

" Andromeda, over here" Alicia called from the corner. She was sitting on the couch with Evan and Rabastan. Andromeda walked over and sat down beside her.

" Here" Alicia handed her a cup of firewhiskey and Andromeda sniffed it hesitantly, remembering the last time she had had firewhiskey. She smiled at the fondness of the memory. Being surrounded by her friends in Gryffindor tower. It was completely different then she felt now.

" You haven't had firewhiskey before have you Andromeda?" Alicia asked with a sly smile, " have you?"

Andromeda shook her head and took a sip from the cup, " I've had it Alicia"

Alicia laughed, " Oh come on Andromeda, it's okay"

Andromeda tried to ignore her. Alicia had a strange habit of making Andromeda feel small and she had learned that it was better to ignore her than to encourage it.

" Well either way it's pretty good, right?" Rabastan said taking a large sip of from his own cup.

Andromeda smiled and did the same, grateful for a distraction from Alicia.

" Well if it isn't the other Black and Lestrange" Bellatrix said dragging Rodolphus over to where Andromeda and Rabastan were sitting.

" Hey Bella" Andromeda said happily, sliding over to make room for her sister and her boyfriend.

" I haven't seen very much of you lately" Bellatrix said to her giving her a look that reminded Andromeda so much of Druella that she shivered.

" I've been really busy lately" Andromeda said taking another large sip from her cup.

" Yeah I haven't seen very much of you either" Alicia commented.

Andromeda felt her complexion betray her and a slight amount of red burn on her cheeks.

" Maybe Andromeda has a secret life she isn't telling us about" Bellatrix joked.

Alicia and Rabastan laughed lightly but Andromeda choked on her firewhiskey, bursting into a fit of coughing.

" You alright?" Rabastan asked her.

Andromeda nodded and coughed again. Bellatrix's comment had caught her off guard and made her paranoid. She knew that she was joking, but she was so spot on that it terrifies Andromeda that she may know more than she was letting on.

She eyed her older sister's face trying to see if there was any sliver of blackmail or knowledge on her features. She didn't see any. Bellatrix was laughing with Rodolphus about some racist joke he had made and Andromeda felt herself calm down slightly.

She was so sick of walking on eggshells around her family and so called friends.

After a little while, she couldn't stand having the same conversation with Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers. She took her drink and moved around the party, refilling her drink at the cart near the rarely used fireplace.

" Andromeda Black, not having fun with your betrothed?" Lucius Malfoy asked her. He was throwing glances back over to where Rabastan was sitting.

" Oh, no. There was just a draft.." Andromeda said trying to cover for her abrupt exit.

" The air of superiority around you was getting a bit chilly was it?" Lucius asked her with a wide grin.

Andromeda stared at him strangely. Lucius Malfoy was a Pureblood, but several years before, an uncle of his had been accused of sympthazing with muggles. Though still a prominent Pureblood family, the incident had caused the Malfoy's to fall from grace slightly. Ever since then, Lucius had been looking for an in with the Blacks, and while Bellatrix had exploited it by having him do favours and homework for her, Andromeda had never really thought about it.

So she stared at him, trying to figure out why he was talking to her now.

" These parties are so boring" Lucius said twirling his drink in his hands, " Just once, I wish there was some music or intrigue. Like someone should get really tossed or hook up with someone else"

" Then it wouldn't be a Slytherin party" Andromeda pointed out, " nothing like that ever happens with Purebloods"

Lucius laughed. Much more enthusiastically than Andromeda thought was necessary, but she didn't question it.

She just finished filling her cup and walked back over to where her sisters were, and tried to stay at the party a little longer before going up to bed.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The upcoming Quidditch Match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw was highly anticipated and seemed to be the only thing that Hogwarts students were talking about. Andromeda was thrilled. It seemed like the first game in a while that she would be able to just watch and not have to play in. Ted was playing too, so she would be able to sit and watch without anyone suspecting anything.

On the morning of the game, the whole school trapsed down to the Great Hall in excitement. Andromeda sat down at the Slytherin table beside Alicia and Emma and watched as both the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch players entered the hall in their robes looking both nervous and excited. Ted sat down next to Alfie at the Hufflepuff table. Andromeda couldn't help but notice how good he looked in his Quidditch robes. She realized she was grinning at him and looked back down at her plate before either of friends noticed.

" So, who do you think is going to win? Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff" Alicia asked quickly.

" Ravenclaw" Emma said proudly just as Andromeda had said " Hufflepuff"

Andromeda stopped short, she hadn't even meant to say it. It had just come out. Truthfully, she hoped that Hufflepuffs would win and she thought they had a real chance, seeing as Ted was such a good player, but she hadn't meant to announce it to all of Slytherin. Ravenclaw's were more of their allies than Hufflepuffs were.

" Really?" Rabastan asked her from a few seats down, " you want Hufflepuff to win?"

Andromeda bit her lip, " I just think they're going to is all" she added quickly and took a bite of her toast to avoid having to answer another question.

She looked back to the Hufflepuff table, where Ted and Alfie were now engaged in a quick conversation.

" Good Luck today, Ted" Charity said from the other side of him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before walking away.

There was slight hooting from a few of the older Hufflepuff students and Ted turned bright red. There was now a small scene at their table.

Andromeda almost choked on her toast.

Both Ted and Alfie looked over to the Slytherin table to look at Andromeda. She avoided their glance and looked back at Alicia who was also staring at the Hufflepuff table.

" Oh look, Mudblood love" she said sarcastically.

" Who?" Emma asked quickly, eyeing where she was looking.

" Those Hufflepuff Mudbloods Tonks and Burbage" Alicia said throwing her hair behind her shoulder, " funny how the filthiest people tend to find each other"

" Ew" Emma said wrinkling her nose.

Andromeda had to grip her fork with more ferocity than before. She was furious, and jealous. Charity had just kissed her boyfriend, and as mad as she was, Andromeda couldn't blame her. As far as Charity knew, Ted was the nice, single friend she had gone to Slughorn's Christmas party with. She didn't know that they were together. No one did. But it didn't stop Andromeda from being mad. People were going to assume that those two were together. Even Alicia, who didn't care about muggleborns at al had assumed they were. And she had called Ted a mudblood. That was making Andromeda angrier than she knew.

" I'm going to go to the powder room" Andromeda said quickly, " I'll see you guys at the game"

" Alright" Emma said.

Andromeda got up from the table and walked out of the Great Hall. She didn't know where she was going but she didn't want to be surrounded by Slytherins in that second.

She rounded the corner and leaned against the wall in one of the alcoves, sighing and running her hands through her hair.

It was a consequence of dating in secret. She knew that, but it didn't stop her from being so frustrated.

Someone rounded the corner and Andromeda saw the black and yellow quidditch robes and the sandy blond hair.

" There you are" Ted said walking over to her, " I hoped you had gone this way. You got out of there so fast. I looked up and you were gone"

Andromeda nodded, " Yeah, I needed a minute"

Ted raised an eyebrow at her, " Is this about the Charity thing? Because Im going to tell her I'm not interested"

Andromeda shook her head, " No it wasn't that. It just gets to be a lot sometimes"

Ted frowned slightly.

Andromeda took a deep breath, " Go back to the Great Hall and eat something, you've got a game to win"

Ted shook his head, " That's okay. I ate earlier. And I'd much better spend my remaining few minutes with my girlfriend"

Andromeda smiled broadly at him.

" I hope you know, I'd get hexed into next week if anyone saw this, but I figured it's worth it" she said lifting the edge of her sweater to reveal the small strip of Hufflepuff fabric she had sewn there.

" I figured it would be good for you to know I'm supporting you" she said with a smile.

" That's fantastic!" Ted exclaimed stroking the yellow and black fabric underneath her sweater, " thank you"

Andromeda smiled, " Try and win today, knock the cocky smiled off of those ravenclaw's faces" she told him.

Ted grinned and ran his hand through his hair, " I'll do my best"

They could hear people leaving the Great Hall, and any minute they would be rounding the corner.

" Good Luck, Tonks" she said leaning up on the tip of her toes to kiss him quickly.

" Thanks, Black" he said with a wink and headed off towards the pitch. Andromeda waited a minute and then turned the corner, catching up with Alicia and Emma, before walking with them to the stands.

They climbed to one of the lower benches on the stand, near the front. She couldn't help but notice that it was freezing outside and the sky above them was a dark angry gray.

" It looks like it's going to rain" Andromeda said looking up at the sky.

" Good" Alicia said quickly, " I'm sure the Ravenclaw players know the water repellent charm which will give them an advantage"

Andromeda didn't say anything. She just hoped that the Hufflepuff team knew the charm too.

They sat there quietly for a few minutes waiting for the game to begin. After a few minutes, the two teams flew out of the changing rooms and the sky was filled with violet and yellow players.

Both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sides of the stand burst into loud cheers.

Andromeda smiled widely when she saw Ted fly through the air looking thrilled to be on a broom.

The players lined up and on Madam Frikes' whistle, the game began.

Mafalda Hopkirk was announcing the game and the entire school listened intently as she began to comment on what was going on in the sky below her.

" SO IT LOOKS LIKE THE HUFFLEPUFF TEAM IS TAKING THE LEAD AND YES THATS ANOTHER TEN POINTS TO HUFFLEPUFF THANKS TO A SCORE MADE BY CHASER TED TONKS AND WAIT RAVENCLAW HAS POSSESION OF THE QUAFFLE AND YES TEN POINTS TO RAVENCLAW THANKS TO CHASER LOVEGOOD"

Both of the team had strong chasers, but Hufflepuff's were much stronger. The Ravenclaw team, however had a very good keeper and even better beaters. So during the entire match, large bludgers zoomed through the air at unsuspecting Hufflepuff players. Andromeda found herself flinching anytime a bludger ended up anywhere near Ted. But he was skilled on a broom, and dodged them expertly.

"...AND LOOKS LIKE TED TONKS IS ATTEMPTING TO SCORE ANOTHER GOAL BUT OH THAT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD"  
Mafalda had gotten silent. Ted had been speeding towards the goal posts at full speed when two Ravenclaw players had flanked him and run him straight into one of the spectator stands and he had gone crashing to the ground at full speed. He was now crumpled on the ground and the game was paused as Madam Frikes and Professor Sprout approached him quickly.

Ted was still unconcious and Professor Sprout magicked a gourney over to carry Ted off of the field as Madam Frikes flew back over to Mafalda.

" IT SEEMS THAT TED TONKS IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE SO HUFFLEPUFF WILL BE PLAYING THERE ALTERNATE CHASER ROBBIE DEEKS-"

Andromeda didn't wait for Mafalda to finish commentating. She got up from her seat in the stands and headed towards the wooden stairs.

Ted had to be being taken to the Hospital Wing and she desperately wanted to make sure he was okay.

Alicia and Emma were so absorbed in the game that they probably wouldn't even notice her absence.

She practically ran down the stairs two at a time and when she left the stands, she almost slammed into another figure who was leaving the Hufflepuff stands.

" Oh, Alfie. Sorry" Andromeda said, stopping herself before she knocked them both over.

Alfie shook his head, " No, Andromeda it's fine. Going to check on Ted too right?"

Andromeda nodded and the two of them walked quickly back towards the castle.

" Did you see him?" Andromeda asked him quickly, " Did he look really hurt?"

Her voice was several decisbles louder than it normally was, and her breathing was quicker than it normally was.

" I didn't see him" Alfie said quietly.

" But I'm sure he's fine, honestly" he added seeing the look on Andromeda's face. The two of them walked to the Hospital Wing in silence and when they go to the doors, Alfie pushed them open quickly.

Madam Pompfrey was huddled over a bed with Professor Sprout. And Ted was visible sitting up. He was awake, but there was a bandage wrapped around his head and his arm was in a sling.

He was the only patron in the wing, so Andromeda followed Alfie over to where they were.

" Is he okay?" Alfie asked Madam Pompfrey quickly, while Andromeda walked over to edge of his bed.

" He's fine" Madam Pompfrey said quickly, " Cracked skull and a broken arm, but both should be healed by the end of the day"

" Hey there, Dromeda" Ted said hazily as she walked over to him.

" Are you alright?" she asked him quickly.

He laughed slightly, " Peachy. But I'm better now"

Andromeda let out the breath she was holding in. He was fine. She could feel both Madam Pompfrey and Professor Sprout's eyes on them. Ted seemed to notice too. Andromeda turned around and saw that both of the female teachers were staring at the two strangely.

" Oh, hello Ms. Black" Professor Sprout said quickly, obviously embarrassed she had been caught staring at them, " I didn't know you knew Mr. Tonks and Mr. Cattermole"

" She's my potions partner" Ted told his Head of House quickly, " You know those Slytherins, probably making sure that I still show up to class and do my part on Monday" he joked.

Andromeda was impressed with how quickly he was able to come up with that.

Professor Sprout nodded and adjusted the cluster of leaves behind her ear.

" Well, I just think all you need is a little rest. I'll leave you with your friends" Madam Pompfrey said, leaving a potion on his bedside table and returning to her office.

" And I think I will go back to the pitch and see how the game is unfolding, that is if you are sure you are alright, Ted" Professor Sprout said.

Ted nodded and the eccentric Herbology teacher left the Hospital Wing.

Now alone, Andromeda and Alfie both sat down in the chairs next to Ted's bed.

Andromeda brought hers close to Ted and laced her hand with his. He smiled and ran his thumb over her small hand.

" Do you need anything?" Andromeda asked him quietly. He looked so fragile sitting in the Hospital Wing bed covered in bandages.

" Yeah, actually" Ted said leaning his head forward.

Andromeda leaned forward to listen to what he was going to tell her.

" This" Ted said and brought his lips to hers.

Andromeda kissed him back quickly and rolled her eyes when he pulled away and leaned back against his pillows looking proud of himself.

" You're an idiot" she told him.

Ted laughed, " Yes, but I am your idiot. Which makes you just as foolish as me"

" You're lucky you're hurt and I can't be mean" Andromeda said squeezing his hand.

Ted only grinned, " Hmm timid Andromeda, maybe I should get hurt more often"

Alfie made a noise of disgust from behind them and both Ted and Andromeda turned to him with appriecative smiles.

" Sorry Alfie, is our affection bothering you?" Ted asked with a wide smile, still clutching Andromeda's hand.

Alfie grinned, " Not particularly, but the game just ended. So very soon most of our team is going to be in here.." his gaze fell on Andromeda and Ted's interlocked hands.

"... so I should go" Andromeda finished, realizing what Alfie meant.

Ted frowned, " Maybe we could just tell the team and you could stay, or we could just tell them were friends or something."

Andromeda frowned. She knew how frustrating it had to be for him, and it hurt her to always have to say no.

" Never mind, that was stupid" Ted said quickly seeing her face, " I'll see you later"

Andromed leaned over his bed and pressed her lips to his forehead.

" Promise me you'll rest , okay?" she told him.

He nodded, " I promise, Dromeda"

She squeezed his hand and then let it go. She turned to Alfie, " Make sure he's okay for me?"

Alfie nodded, " I'll be here, don't worry"

Andromeda smiled at him and cast one glance back at Ted, before leaving the Hospital Wing. It was moments like these that made her hate all Purebloods and there stigmas. She wanted to be able to sit there, laughing with Ted and making him feel better, but instead she had to make her way down to the Slytherin Dungeons and pretend that the injured Hufflepuff Muggleborn meant nothing to her.

She hated lying like this.

The corridors were crowded with students and Andromeda walked towards the Slytherin common room and found Alicia, Emma, Evan, and Rabastan on the way there.

" Where were you?" Alicia asked her accusingly.

Andromeda tucked her hair behind her ear, " I was feeling really sick and the heights weren't helping" she lied.

" Did Madam Pompfrey give you a pepper-up potion?" Emma asked her.

Andromeda shook her head, " No, she was busy"

Alicia rolled her eyes, " Tending to that Mudblood Tonks, no doubt. Merlin, she should just leave him with those injuries. His life isn't doing anyone any favours"

Andromeda stared at Alicia in disbelief.

" What?" Alicia asked her coldly.

" You're kidding me, right?" Andromeda demanded crossing her arms, her anger overcoming her.

" What? No. Why?" Alicia asked her, her lips pursed. She looked ready to start a fight. Alicia and Andromeda had been fighting constantly lately and Alicia seemed ready to deal with it now.

" You're honestly suggesting that Madam Pompfrey, the school nurse, should leave someone with life threatening injuries. I mean Merlin, Alicia. You've got to be joking, because thats really stupid even for you" Andromeda

Alicia narrowed her eyes at her, " What the fuck is wrong with you, Andromeda? You've been acting like a bitch for a while now. He's a filthy mudblood. None of us care what happens to him. I don't know what's wrong with you lately, if you're jealous of me or what. But whatever it is, you better figure it out, and try not picking a fight over something like a fucking mudblood"

Alicia tossed her hair over her shoulder and Andromeda rolled her eyes and walked away from Alicia. Of course Alicia would think Andromeda was jealous of her. Even though she all but drew it out for that she was upset about what Alicia had said about Muggleborns. She was so thick, and so bigoted that even she didn't realize what she was saying.

" Hey, Andromeda!" Rabastan called walking after her, " wait up"

Andromeda wanted to tell him to go away. She was furious with Alicia and the sight of any Pureblood made her even angrier, but Rabastan's expression wasn't angry or confrontational.

" What Rabastan?" Andromeda asked crossing her arms.

Rabastan frowned, " You seemed pretty upset, and I thought you might want to talk about it. Trust me I know how irritating Nott can get"

Andromeda raised her eyebrow at Rabastan.

" all honest intentions here, I swear" Rabastan said putting his hands up. He sat down on the bench behind them and patted the seat next to him for Andromeda.

With a sigh, she sat down. Deciding that if a member of Slytherin wasn't acting like a git, she might as well use it.

" It's just, Alicia says things sometimes that are so-" Andromeda started but stopped looking for the right word to use.

" Uneccesary" Rabastan added.

Andromeda nodded, " I swear she doesn't think at all before she speaks"

Rabastan nodded, " Alicia need to learn to keep some things inside her head, and just because were all thinking it, doesn't mean it needs to be said"

Andromeda bit her lip. That wasn't at all what she was thinking. That meant that Rabastan had agreed with Alicia.

Of course he did, she thought. Rabastan was a Pureblood Slytherin. Of course he wouldn't mind muggleborns being hurt. Andromeda was the only one who thought the opposite way.

" Thanks Rabastan" Andromeda said getting to her feet, " this has been very _enlightening_ "

" Glad I could help" Rabastan said with a smile and followed Andromeda back to the common room.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The months were passing faster than Andromeda realized and before she knew it, it was well into spring. She had been so busy lately living her two lives that she hadn't noticed the time passing quickly by her. It was April now, and a new date was causing a lot of excitement for Andromeda. A date that last year would have meant nothing to her.

Ted's birthday was only a week away, and Andromeda was trying to figure out a way to celebrate it with him.

" Maybe sneak into Hogsmeade?" Hestia suggested in Transfiguration.

Andromeda frowned, " I thought of that but I even if we managed to get there, there's no where we could go without being seen"

" What about the come and go room?" Hestia asked her.

" The room of requirement?" Andromeda asked, " don't you have to need it for it to appear?"

Hestia nodded, " That's what makes it perfect! You could just go to the seventh floor and think about how much you and Ted need a place to celebrate his birthday together and it will appear, and then you two can go there, it'll be perfect"

Andromeda smiled, liking the idea, " And then no one will be able to find us"

Hestia nodded too and then said, " Wow, this whole covert relationship thing is dificult huh?" she asked.

" Tell me about it" Andromeda said transfiguring the mouse in front of her into a snuffbox.

Hestia, growing irritated with her own snuffbox's sqeauking had silenced it.

" Well at least you're making it work, I had my doubts" Hestia told her, piling her hair on top of her head.

" I did too" Andromeda said, " I honestly don't know how we managed to keep it going so long without anyone finding out"

Out of habit, she turned around to make sure none of her classmates were listening on their conversation.

Hestia poked her snuffbox with her wand, " I mean would it really be as bad as you think if people found out"

Andromeda nodded vigorously, " Hestia, it would be horrible. My sisters go here. If people found out my family would find out and the other Slytherins…"

She shuddered violently. Andromeda didn't like to think about the reprucussions of what she and Ted were doing. As it was, they already plagued her nightmares and kept her at night. She didn't need to think about them in the light of day too.

" Well," Hestia said, " I wouldn't care, and neither would a lot of other people here"

" That would be comforting" Andromeda told her, " but if it got out I probably wouldn't live to see it"

Hestia rolled her eyes, " You Blacks are so dramatic, even the outcasts. I was in Gryffindor tower the other day and your cousin got on top of one of the tables and announced to the entire room that he was going to start charging people to go on dates with him, because he was 'too damn pretty' not too"

Andromeda had laughed so hard she snorted.

" Sirius is something else" she told her,

" Ya think?" Hestia asked laughing loudly, " I've got to admit though, he is attractive. He certaintly inherited those Black good looks"

Andromeda grinned and fluttered her eyelashes, " Well if we're going to be a family that prides ourselves on our evil ways, we might as well look good while doing it"

Hestia laughed so hard that McGonagall and the other Slytherins looked up at them.

" Oops" Hestia said with a small smile.

Andromeda shrugged, " If they ask, I'll tell them that you were laughing at your defeat the last time we played you"

Hestia frowned slightly, " You know, Black. I'm still tender about that. Gryffindors don't like to lose"

Andromeda eyed her curiously, " Tell that to the lump in the back of my head, from a collision with your beaters bat"

" To be fair" Hestia pointed out, " that was Wood, not me"

" Still" Andromeda said, " That game was tender for all of us"

Hestia shrugged, " Quidditch is in my blood, so losing makes me question everything" she said in false horror.

Hestia's family was famous for being Quidditch players. Both her parent's had played on Puddlemore United in their day and her brother was playing for England right now.

" Speaking of which," Andromeda asked, " How's your brother?"

Hestia shrugged, " Slyvanus is so full of himself"

" Well if I was the youngest seeker in a century I might be full of myself too" Andromeda pointed out.

" But he also thinks he's the most attractive seeker in history too" Hestia said rolling her eyes.

Andromeda giggled, " Okay that I can see being a problem"

" He's dating a veela too, and she is the dumbest person I have ever met" Hestia said.

Andromeda smiled. Somehow over the last few months, Hestia had become her best friend. She was so easy to talk to and every time they did, she was so fun.

Andromeda never had to worry about what she said or the hidden meanings behind what Hestia said. Hestia was always upfront about what she meant, and she was always funny.

She was the kind of easy, comforting friends that Andromeda had always wanted.

Transfiguration ended and Andromeda gathered her things only to find that it was raining outside and her usual Care of Magical Creatures lesson was moved to an inside classroom on the first floor that was never used.

When she walked into the room, Professor Grubbly was attempting to set out some books with her wand and the students were sitting down at the three seat tables.

Alfie waved her over to a table he was sitting at with Xeno Lovegood.

Andromeda took the seat next to Alfie, gratefully. Her other options were Mafalda Hopkirk, who had a tendency to become irrate with anyone who didn't know as much as her, or Maxim Wood who hated Andromeda's guts.

" Hey, Aflie" She said sitting down, " Hi Xeno"

" Hello, Andromeda" Xenophilius said happily. He looked pleased that she knew he was. Xeno was known for being slightly eccentric, and while most of Slytherin thought he was a joke, Andromeda found him to be quite refreshing.

" Did you know you are named after a galaxy?" Xeno asked her. He was looking at her intently, in a way suggesting that he wasn't joking.

" Yeah, I did" Andromeda told him, " my whole family is named after astrological figures. It's a tradition"

Xenophilius looked surprised and scribbled something down on the parchment in front of him.

" Did you know that Xeno is a variation of Xenon and means strange voice?" Andromeda asked him.

There had been a winter break were Andromeda had been obsessed with names and the meaning behind them and spent every day buried in countless books about it.

A wide smile spread across Xenophilius' face, " I did actually. I think it's quite fitting, don't you?"

Andromeda laughed, " If you think so"

Alfie turned to her, " So, are you terribly upset that we're not running around the grounds after some sort of dangerous creature?" he asked sarcastically.

" I'm so depressed, I can't even talk about it" she joked.

Professor Grubbly waved her wand again and got a projector set up in the front of the room. She spent the entire class time showing the twelve students pictures of various creatures she had encountered and the stories that went with them. She had seen a lot and Andromeda found herself very interested.

It also didn't hurt that every few slides, Xenophilius and Professor Grubbly would get into an argument about the existence of a creature that Xenophilius swore was real and Professor Grubbly had never heard of. By the mention of the Crumpled Horned Snorcack, Andromeda and Alfie found themselves launched into such contagious laughter that they barely heard anything that Professor Grubbly was telling them about Nifflers.

When the bell rang for lunch, Andromeda walked with Alfie and Xeno to the Great Hall. Xeno was telling them both about the time he had gone exploring with his father and his head had been completely consumed with nargles. Neither Alfie or Andromeda believed that they existed but the story was so entertaining that they were consumed with laughter.

" …..so that's why you should always grow Dirigible plums" Xenophilius told them both as they walked through the doors to the Great Hall. They were stopped in between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables.

" Well they will definitely be in my garden when I get my own place" Alfie said, " What about you Andromeda?"

" Oh most definitely" Andromeda said smiling, " they will fill my entire backyard"

Ted, who was sitting down the table, looking at Andromeda and grinned at he words.

" I should go" Andromeda said, looking over to the Slytherin table where Emma and Alicia had just sat down and were looking at her.

Andromeda walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down.

" Hey Andromeda" Emma said happily.

" Hey Emma" Andromeda said putting her copy of the 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" down beside her plate.

" Hi, Lic" Andromeda said to Alicia.

Alicia eyed her strangely, obviously surprised by her use of her nickname. The two hadn't exactly made up after their argument, but they were being civil. Andromeda had realized that fighting with her wasn't going to change the way Alicia thought or acted so she just accepted it.

" Hey, Andy" Alicia said smiling slightly, and looking slightly relived.

" Why were you talking to Xeno Lovegood? He's a nutter" Emma asked, staring forward at Xeno who was now showing a detailed drawing of some sort of creature to Pandora Marx.

" Oh, he's in my care of magical creatures class" Andromeda told them, " we were talking about the lesson"

It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't truthful either. Andromeda knew how judgemental the two of them were and she didn't feel the need to strain their wavering friendship anymore than she already had.

" So" Alicia said, " I heard Lucius Malfoy is trying to get his parents to talk to yours about marrying you"

" Excuse me?" Andromeda asked her, trying not to spit out her pumpkin juice.

Alicia leaned closer to her, " I heard him talking about it with Yaxley, apparently he thinks that he can convince Druella and Cygnus that he's a better match than Rabastan"

" Good luck with that" Emma said with a small laugh.

Andromeda felt the pieces clicking in her head. So thats why he had been nice to her at the Slytherin party. It didn't matter anyway. Andromeda didn't like him. Though, she didn't like Rabastan either, and she was supposed to marry him one day. She was just glad that Ted wasn't here. This conversation would set him over the edge.

" It's just to restore his family name" Andromeda told them, " and I'm the 'marryable' Black daughter. Bellatrix and Rodolphus are too serious and Narcissa is too young"

" Probably" Alicia agreed, " but the fact that he thinks they would actually choose him over Rabastan is ridiuculous. I mean Rabastan is perfect, and he adores you"

Andromeda looked over to a few seats down the table, where Rabastan was sitting. He was talking with his brother and Evan. When he saw her looking at him, he smiled boldly.

" You saw that, right?" Alicia asked Andromeda.

Andromeda nodded and she felt a twinge of guilt again.

" Remind me again, why you two are not dating" she asked.

Andromeda froze. Somehow she didn't think ' Because I'm dating a Muggleborn', was an appropriate answer.

" Were just not" Andromeda said stabbing her chicken with her fork.

" I'll never understand you, Andromeda" Alicia joked with a shake of her head.

She and Emma launched themselves into a conversation about Annalise Greengrass' hair color and it left Andromeda thinking about Ted.

She had never really thought about the long term. She had always known that she and Ted didn't have the same options as other couples, but then it really hit her. How much longer could they go on like this. They couldn't date in public, and would they still be able to date in public after they left Hogwarts, and even if they did make it that long, what happened after. They couldn't get married, and eventually Andromeda would be expected to marry a Pureblood wizard.

She felt her heart and mind racing and she tried desperately to remind herself that that was a long time from now and she didn't need to worry about it, but it seemed to be of no help.

Her only distraction was that she had potions next.

She walked with Emma and Alicia down to the dungeons and she found that she as much as she was worrying about him, seeing Ted's face in the seat next to hers, actually comforted her more than she knew.

They both sat in silence while Professor Slughorn told them how to brew the Draught of Living Death. Andromeda wrote down everything he said and opened her book to the instructions. It was a challenging potion but there was a lot of time that it spent on the burner, so Andromeda and Ted sat quietly, until the cackling of the potions was loud enough so that they could talk quietly and not be heard.

" So you're going to fill your backyard with Dirigible plums are you?" Ted asked her.

Andromeda smiled, " I think so, yes"

He laughed and shook his head, dipping the unicorn horn into his cauldron.

" Xeno is actually very interesting" she told him, " I sat with him in Care of Magical Creatures"

" uh huh" Ted said stirring his potion.

Ted was so focused on his potion, she knew he wasn't listening, so she decided to ramble on with nonsense.

" He's quite attractive too" she said as Ted added another ingredient to his potion.

" I'm thinking of running away with him and having seven of his children" Andromeda told him.

" Uh huh" Ted said carefully adding the beetles to his cauldron and spinning it counter clockwise thirteen times.

Andromeda shook her head and turned back to the her own potion, deciding to let him focus.

After a few minutes, she asked him for the unicorn horn that was on the other side of him.

" Perhaps you should ask Xenophilius" Ted said not looking up from his cauldron, " surely the father of all seven of your children would like to help you" he said a wide grin spreading across his face.

Andromeda smiled and shook her head as he handed her the unicorn horn.

" You did hear me" Andromeda said dipping it into her cauldron.

Ted looked at her and smiled, " I remember everything you've ever said to me, Andromeda"

Andromeda frowned, " I don't think I like that, I've said some pretty awful things"

Ted shrugged, " Not about me"

Andromeda rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly. They didn't talk much for the rest of the period. The potion was so confusing that it required both of their full attention, but neither minded, seeing as they were patrolling together tonight and would get to see each other then.

By the time it was time to leave the dungeon, not a single one of the students had managed to brew a sufficient potion. It was supposed to be a flat black at this point and Andromeda turned her own light gray potion in with a frown.

Slughorn collected all of the samples and dismissed everyone. Andromeda left the room and walked with Alicia and Emma.

They walked to the Common Room, which had gotten so much colder in the recent months that they always had to use the fireplace in the corner.

Andromeda sat down in one of the squishy armchairs and wrapped her robes around her tighter, trying to stay warm.

Bellatrix was sitting on one of the couches and got up, sitting down in the armchair next to her sister.

" Hey Bella" Andromeda said taking out her History of Magic homework.

" Hello baby sister" Bellatrix said flinging her legs over the edge of her chair.

Andromeda recognized the look on Bellatrix's face and immidiately knew that there was something that she wanted to tell her. It was a look she had gotten a hundred times before.

" So I did something amazing" Bellatrix said excitedly, " and it's good for you too"

Andromeda waited a moment. Bellatrix's idea of amazing and Andromeda's tended to differ, so she was always wary when it came to her older sister's ideas.

" Okay, what did you do Bellatrix?" Andromeda asked closing her book.

Bellatrix smiled widely, " Okay so I was talking to Rodolphus and do you remember when he was telling us about You-Know-Who, well his followers are all in this group that he leads called the knights of Walpurgis and they are having a meeting for prospective members over Easter break, and I got Rodolphus to get you and I invited"

Bellatrix was teeming with excitement, and Andromeda felt like she was going to throw up. She has heard all about this You-Know-Who and one of his main platforms was his distaste and hatred for muggleborns, something that made him so popular to Purebloods and Slytherins. People like the Blacks were big supporters of him, so it made sense that Bellatrix was so anxious to attend a meeting. And Andromeda should want to as well, not wanting to wouldn't be very Black of her. She would have to go.

" Wow" Andromeda said trying to muster as much false enthusiasm as she could.

" I know" Bellatrix said happily, " I'm great, and you can't wait"

Andromeda smiled slightly to please her, even though on the inside she felt like she was screaming.

" It's the Friday night of Easter break, so we'll be home already. I got the address so we can just apparate there, okay?" Bellatrix said happily.

Andromeda managed to nod her head and she watched as a smile spread across Bellatrix's face.

" Yay, this is going to be so good for us Andromeda, you'll see" Bellatrix said getting up from her chair and leaving Andromeda alone again.

Andromeda spent the next few hours finishing as much homework as she could. Ever since she had started seeing Ted, their patrols together had become so long that she now had to finish all of her homework before. She even brought her Transfiguration homework to dinner so that she could finish everything. When it was time to patrol, she walked up to the fourth floor to meet Ted.

She got there first, so she stood near one of the pillars waiting for him to show up. He rounded the corner a few minutes later.

" There you are" Andromeda said when he walked over.

" Sorry, I was convincing Alfie not to ask out Emmeline again" Ted said shaking his head in disbelief.

Andromeda frowned, " Aw, poor Alfie"

Ted nodded looked behind him to make sure no one was around before bending down to kiss Andromeda.

Normally, they kept it quick when they were patrolling, but no one was ever on this floor and Andromeda had missed him a lot today. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lengthened their kiss.

When they broke apart, Ted was smiling at her fondly and Andromeda looked to the floor, feeling herself blush.

They started walking down the hall, beginning their patrol.

" So," Ted said, his hands in his pockets, " my birthday is Thursday and they're throwing this party in the Hufflepuff Common Room after dinner, and I figured I would invite you"

Andromeda bit her lip. There was nothing she wanted to do more than go, but it would be extremely suspicious if she went to a party celebrating a muggleborn's birthday in the Hufflepuff Common Room, more suspicious than either of them could afford.

" And I know you probably can't go, but seeing as you are my girlfriend, I figured the invitation should be at least extended to you" he told her.

Andromeda smiled, " Well thank you, for the invitation and for the understanding"

Ted nodded, " I've learned to take you anyway I can"

She smiled at him, " Well then how about after our final class on Thursday, you meet me on the Seventh floor so that we can celebrate too?"

Ted raised an eyebrow, " I'm intrigued"

Andromeda smiled, " Good, then it should be exciting"

Andromeda had spent all of Thursday morning preparing the Room of Requirement for Ted's birthday.

She had had the House Elves make a cake, and it was set up on the table, along with several butterbeers. And his present, an autobiography of Queen Elizabeth and a wizards watch that showed astrological signs, were wrapped and on the other table.

The room had really provided her with what she needed. It was lavishly decorated with streamers, balloons and magical levitation orbs. One corner was even littered with squashy pillows to sit on. Andromeda was impressed with the magic that the castle had supplied.

The day passed by very slowly for her. She and Ted didn't have any classes together, so the first time she saw him was after there last class in the seventh floor corridor.

They were both still dressed in their uniforms, and Ted was smiling happily when he saw her standing there.

" Hey Dromeda" he said walking over.

" Happy Birthday, Ted!" she said pulling him into a tight hug.

Ted chuckled against her hair, " Well it is now"

Andromeda smiled up at him.

" So, tell me what are we doing on the seventh floor?" he asked her.

" Funny you should ask that" Andromeda said turning to the empty wall and focusing on her need to celebrate Ted's birthday.

Instantly a pair of wrought iron doors appeared in the wall and Andromeda reached for the handle, pulling it open.

" You coming, Tonks?" she asked happily, seeing the look of disbelief on his face.

Ted followed her into the room and his eyes widened even more as he took in the decorated room, while Andromeda closed the door behind them.

" You did all this?" he asked her.

Andromeda nodded happily. Ted smiled and pulled Andromeda towards him, kissing her quickly.

" Thank you" he whispered in her ear.

" And you haven't even opened your presents yet" Andromeda said, mimicking him.

He rolled his eyes playfully at her and sat down on one of the pillows in the corner.

Andromeda took his presents and brought them over to him, sitting cross legged next to him.

She watched as he tentatively opened both gifts.

" Queen Elizabeth?" he asked happily, " I'm impressed you remember"

Andromeda grinned, " I thought you might enjoy that"

He laughed, " You were right"

She smiled as he opened the other present and observed the watch.

" Wow," he said quietly looking at it, " this is beautiful"

" It's engraved" Andromeda said turning it over in his hands. She flipped open the gold watch and showed him the inscription that was on the inside.

Ted,

Complicated, but ours.

\- Dromeda

Ted's eyes softened as he read it and he turned to her.

" It's perfect" he told her slipping it on his wrist.

" I'm glad you like it" Andromeda said smiling widely. Ted was still looking at the stars in the watch.

" Look" he said pointing to a cluster at the far right, " that's the Andromeda galaxy"

Andromeda followed his gaze and looked at the cluster of stars she was named after. She had never seen it before.

" I'm surprised you knew which one it was" Andromeda told him.

Ted smiled sheepishly, " I looked it up in the Astronomy textbook after you kissed me for the first time"

Andromeda looked at Ted, and was surprised to see he was looking at her too.

He took her hand in his and looked back up at her.

" I want to tell you something, Andromeda. And you don't have to say anything if you don't want to, okay. No pressure" he told her.

Andromeda nodded, she was curious to hear what he was going to say, Ted was almost never this serious.

" I'm in love with you, Andromeda" he told her quickly, " I know what we have is complicated and difficult and we have to do it in secret and sometimes it feels like a hundred tiny sacrifices, but I would do it over again any time, because it's worth it to get to be with you. So basically what I'm trying to say is, I love you"

He took a deep breath and looked at Andromeda's face. She didn't say anything she felt like all of the air had pulled out of her body and she was floating weightlessly.

Ted started to talk again, " And if you don't feel the same way or you don't agree, you don't have-"

" Stop" Andromeda said putting her fingers over his mouth, " I love you too, Ted"

Ted stopped and looked at her, his eyebrows together. She moved her hand away from his mouth and to his shoulder.

" You love me?" he repeated, as if he didn't believe she had said it.

Andromeda nodded, " I, Andromeda Walburga Black love you Edward Ted Tonks"

Ted's expression softened and his lip trembled. Andromeda leaned forward and kissed him softly.

Ted kissed her back more passionately and Andromeda leaned back against the pillows, letting Ted lean over her.

Andromeda reached above him and pulled off his robes. He shrugged them off and kept kissing her, with more passion than either of them had been able to before. There was always the fear that someone would walk in or that someone would see them.

So far they had never been allowed to be properly alone, until now. Andromeda shrugged her own robes off and discarded them beside her.

Ted's mouth moved around hers and as she reached to pull off Ted's sweater, he stopped her.

" Wait, Andromeda. Hold on." he said sitting up slightly.

Andromeda sat up and looked at him.

" I just wanted you to know, I didn't tell you that to get you to sleep with me, and that we don't have to do this if you don't want. I'd be fine with waiting if that's what you want" he said quickly. He was rambling slightly and bit his lip nervously. Andromeda noticed how cute he looked when he was nervous.

He was studying her face waiting for her to answer.

" I know that" she said leaning towards him again, " and I also know that I love you, and that I didn't really know what that was until you forced me to fall in love with you"

Ted chuckled, and Andromeda reached for him, wrapping herself around him again.

" So don't worry" she whispered to him, " I want too"

She blushed slightly then, " But Ted you should know, I've never…"

" Me either" he told her quickly.

Andromeda nodded, feeling slightly better.

Ted grinned and pulled her back towards him, kissing her as passionately as he had before. Andromeda kissed him back, for the first time in her life, feeling extremely sure of the decision she had made.

" Have I mentioned how much I love you, yet?" Ted asked her a little while later. They were leaning back against the pillows on the floor of the room of requirement.

Andromeda had her head resting on his bare chest and one of his arms was wrapped around her, running his hand down her naked back.

" Once or twice" she said with a small laugh.

Ted brought his lips to the top of her head, " Well I do".

" Good to know" Andromeda joked.

" You know" Ted told her with a slight laugh, " I think that today has beat my eleventh birthday as my favorite birthday ever"

Andromeda looked up at him, " Really?" she asked him happily.

Ted nodded, " Definitely"

She smiled and adjusted herself so that she was closer to him, " Glad to be of service"

Ted wrapped himself tighter around her and she felt safer than she had in a while. It was strange. If any of her family knew where she was right now, she would be disowned and barred from the family, but oddly it was the most comforted Andromeda had ever felt.

" You know, there is a party in your honor about to commence in the Hufflepuff Common Room" Andromeda said rolling over onto her stomach so that they were facing each other, " and seeing as you are the guest of honor, you probably should attend"

Ted frowned, " And you're sure you can't go?"

Andromeda frowned, " Ted, I want too. Trust me, I do. But if anyone figured it out-"

" Logically, I know that" Ted told her, " but then I look at you, and I don't want to let you leave"

Andromeda smiled and reached up to kiss him softly.

Ted sighed, and they both got up and dressed quickly, still smiling at each other like idiots.

" Thank you for tonight" Ted said before they left, " It was perfect"

" Im glad" Andromeda said happily.

She reached up to kiss him one more time, " I love you Ted Tonks" she told him.

" I love you Andromeda Black" he told her.

" Now go enjoy your party" she said opening the door to the Room of Requirement.

Ted cast one last glance at her and then walked back down the corridor towards his common room. Andromeda closed the door to the Room of Requirement and watched it disappear in front of her.

She left the hall and headed towards the Slytherin Common Room with a feeling of pure bliss.

She was so full of her own joy that she forgot to jump the trick step on one of the staircases and ended up having to spend an extra ten minutes pulling her foot out of it.

When she got to the first floor she almost bumped into Hestia and Emmeline. Who looked like they were on their way to the Hufflepuff party.

" Go ahead, I'll meet you" Hestia told Emmeline.

Emmeline nodded and kept walking while Hestia waited to talk to Andromeda.

" So?" She asked excitedly, " How did it go? Did he like the watch?"

Andromeda nodded and tried to contain her smile, " It was perfect, Hestia"

Hestia looked at her for a second and then her eyes widened and she got very animated.

" Oh my god, Andromeda you did it, didn't you? Tell me everything!" Hestia implored.

" How did you?" Andromeda asked in confusion, wondering how Hestia already knew.

Hestia grinned and raised an eyebrow, " Well unless you suddenly became a Hufflepuff, I can't see any other reason you would be wearing their robes"

Andromeda blinked at her in confusion and looked down at her robes. Sitting on her the right side of her chest was a yellow emblem with a badger. She must have grabbed the wrong set of robes when they were getting dressed.

" Oh, no" she said taking them off.

" Here" Hestia said reaching for them, " I'll give them back to him, and get yours"

" Thank you" Andromeda told her handing them to her.

" Now tell me everything, Are you happy? Was he nice to you?" she asked quickly.

Andromeda found herself for the first time, excited to share details like this with a friend. Hestia was someone she trusted and wanted to tell things like this too. She couldn't imagine telling Alicia or Emma anything like this, even if it had been with someone they approved of.

" Yes to both" Andromeda told her, " It was wonderful"

Hestia smiled brightly, " I'm so happy for you two" she said, " you guys deserve this"

Andromeda found herself smiling uncontrollably.

" Go to the party, and celebrate with him for me" she told Hestia, " I promise I'll give you all the details some other time, okay?"

" You better" Hestia ordered and then winked, before dashing off towards the Hufflepuff Common Room with an armful of Ted's robes.

Andromeda walked back to her own common room, happier than she had ever felt before.

Andromeda woke up the next morning with the previous night's events playing on repeat in her head. She was in an unreasonably good mood, and even more so when she realized that she would have to go to breakfast in the morning without her robes.

" So where did you leave them?" Alicia asked her as they walked to the Great Hall.

" In the library" Andromeda told her, " It was kind of stuffy in there so I took them off"

Alicia nodded, obviously convinced with the answer. Andromeda smiled to herself and sat down at the Slytherin table with Alicia and Emma.

She found that nothing annoyed her today, and so she sat with the other Slytherins, eating her kippers and listening to Emma and Lucius argue about who the bloody baron had killed, only to be snapped at by Alicia, who pointed out that it didn't really matter seeing as he had been dead for hundreds of years.

Normally the squabbling of the three of them would have driven her insane, but today she didn't seem to mind it.

A few minutes before lunch was over, she looked towards the Hufflepuff table to find that Ted was looking at her and nodded his head towards the exit.

She nodded and he got up first, leaving the Great Hall.

" I'll be back" Andromeda told Alicia quickly, getting up.

" Going to find your robes?" Alicia asked, " good idea, you know McGonagall would love nothing more than to dock a Slytherin ten house points for improper dress code"

" Yeah" Andromeda agreed with her, getting up from the table and walking out of the hall.

She followed Ted to the abandoned classroom that they usually met in. He was waiting in there for her. She closed the door behind her and walked over to him.

" Hi" she said quickly.

Ted grinned at her and ran a hand through his hair quickly.

He bent down and kissed her and then placed her robes over her shoulders.

" Thank you" she said slipping her arms into them gratefully.

Ted laughed, " Hestia gave me mine last night, it seems we may have gotten them mixed up." he told her.

Andromeda laughed, " We were slightly distracted' she agreed.

Ted smiled, " I didn't even notice myself, I had several Hufflepuff's point out to me that I was wearing the robes of our evil emerald enemies"

" Impressive alliteration" Andromeda pointed out, " so where did you tell them you got them"

Ted grinned wider, " I may have told a few of them that I won them in duel"

" A duel? Really?" Andromeda asked, trying not to laugh.

Ted frowned slightly, " Yes a duel. Are you suggesting that your boyfriend Ted Tonks, whom you have professed your love for I might add, is not capable of dueling a Slytherin and winning?"

Andromeda shook her head, " No, I think you are more than capable of handling yourself in a duel" she told him, " I was merely shocked at the elaborate nature of your excuse"

Ted smiled, " I did tell them it was quite the attractive Slytherin, then again they may think it's Rabastan but, Who cares"

Andromeda let out another laugh and Ted smiled wider.

She was pleased to see that the watch she had given him was still sitting on his wrist.

" You wore it" she said happily.

Ted smiled, " Are you kidding? You'll have to pry it off of my cold dead wrist"

" That's the amount of enthusiasm I am expecting from every one of my subsequent gifts for years to come" Andromeda told him.

" The way I look at it" Ted told her, " If there is a future where you are still getting me gifts for years to come, I have more than enough reason to have this much enthusiasm"

" You are such an arse sometimes" Andromeda said shaking her head. Ted only smiled wider, flashing Andromeda her favorite crooked smile.

" I should go," Andromeda told him.

" I'll see you in potions, Black" Ted told her.

Andromeda winked at him and then left the room still feeling extremely happy.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

As the Easter holiday approached closer, so did Andromeda's worry. Though a few days in her bedroom at Black Manor didn't sound bad, it was the Knights of Walpurgis meeting that Bellatrix was dragging her to that made her anxious. She had no desire to go, but she also had no choice. Her sister was expecting her to come, and expecting her to be thrilled about it. So the morning they were supposed to leave on the Hogwarts Express, she met Ted in the abandoned classroom they usually did. He had left a note in her potions book telling her to meet him here, so bag in hand, she stood waiting alone.

The door to the classroom opened and Ted darted in, holding his own leather bag.

" Hey there you are" Andromeda said, " What's up?"

Ted walked over towards her, " Well, seeing as we are not regular people and I can not spend the entire train ride sitting with you they way I want to, I figured you at least deserved a proper goodbye" he said.

" Oh you thought so, did you?" Andromeda asked cheekily.

Ted nodded and pulled Andromeda towards him kissing her tenderly, his hand holding her face to his.

Andromeda smiled, " Well thank you"

Ted laughed, " No problem, my lady" he said bowing to her slightly.

" But I do actually have something to ask you" he said getting slightly more serious.

" Okay, go for it" Andromeda said sitting on the desk behind her.

Ted smiled, " So seeing as we have this wonderful week long vacation back home, I was wondering if maybe on Tuesday, you might want to come over to my house for lunch" he said quickly.

" Your house?" Andromeda asked.

Ted nodded.

" So I would be meeting your parents?" Andromeda asked.

Ted laughed, " Well seeing as they live there, yes you would"

Andromeda felt a bundle of nerves arrive in her stomach. She had never met muggles before, and she had certainly never met the parents of someone she was with before. The thought terrified her. What if they didn't like her. They had reason enough. She was the girl who was making their son date her in secret. That was enough for any parents to dislike someone.

" How would I get there?" Andromeda asked him, keeping her concerns silent, " I can't apparate, and I can't ask my parents"

Ted's eyes were wide with excitement, " Yeah, I actually already thought this all out. I was thinking that you could tell your parents that you were going to Diagon Alley, and you could take the Knight bus and then I could pick you up outside the Leaky Cauldron and we could drive to my house, and after I'd drive you back"

" Drive?" Andromeda asked, " like with those muggle contraptions with wheels"

Ted burst into loud laughter, " Yes. I happen to have a license to drive a car"

Andromeda bit her lip nervously. That sounded horrifying.

" Just so I understand" Ted said, " you're not hesitant about coming to my house for dinner, but for me driving you in a car?"

Andromeda nodded, and Ted laughed louder.

" You're the strangest witch I have ever met, Andromeda" he told her.

Andromeda smiled, " Alright, let's do it"

Ted grinned, " Really?"

She nodded and his smile widened and he pulled her into a hug.

" My parents are going to be thrilled" he said happily.

" How much do they know about me?" Andromeda asked.

Ted frowned, " I left out most of the story. They don't know much about blood status so they wouldn't really understand it, but they know that you're my girlfriend and you're a Slytherin"

Andromeda nodded. She silently wondered if Ted was going to tell them the rest. Part of her hoped that he wouldn't, and that maybe for at least that one day having lunch in his house, they could pretend they were normal. But the more logical side of her knew that they would have to tell them. It wasn't fair to them. They deserved to know why they couldn't tell people, or what if they did something like try to contact Andromeda's parents. She shuddered at the thought. If there was anything Cygnus and Druella hated more than Muggleborns, it was muggles.

" We should go" Ted told her, " or we'll miss the train"

" Right" Andromeda agreed and grabbed her bag, leaving the room behind Ted. They went their separate ways, walking a different route to the Hogsmeade station.

Andromeda walked out of the castle by herself, but a little ahead of her she saw a familiar sheath of honey colored hair.

" Jones!" she called walking behind her.

" Hey there Black" Hestia said turning around. She was walking with Emmeline and Otto Bagman.

" The not so bad Slytherin right?" Otto asked her.

Andromeda nodded. " That would be me"

" Andromeda here loves Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs too" Hestia said with a slight wink.

Otto didn't understand what she meant, but Andromeda did and she elbowed her playfully in the ribs.

Hestia only laughed.

" So, tell me" she said turning back to Andromeda, " where are your slimy Slytherin friends right now?"

Andromeda shrugged, " No idea, probably gathered around looking superior or something"

Hestia, Emmeline and Otto all laughed.

" You're funny" Emmeline told her.

" I try" Andromeda said with a small smile.

They approached the station and to Andromeda's amusement, her sister was standing there with Elizabeth, Alicia and the Lestranges waiting for her.

Bellatrix was giving her a dirty look, that Andromeda knew was because she was walking with three Gryffindors.

" See you" Andromeda said quickly and walked over the group of emerald covered students.

" God, I hate that bloodtraitor" Bellatrix said eyeing Hestia as she climbed onto the scarlet train.

" She obviously seems to like our Andromeda here" Rabastan said slinging an arm over her shoulder.

Andromeda tried to smile slightly and wiggle out from underneath his arm. From across the Platform she saw a small smile playing on Ted's face. He was amused.

" Let's go find a compartment" Andromeda suggested and the group of them all climbed onto the train and headed back to the the large compartment that they always occupied.

" So, I heard Bellatrix and you are going to be going to a Knights of Walpurgis meeting over break" Alicia said when they sat down. Rabastan had sat down next to Andromeda and Emma and Evan had just walked into the compartment too.

" Thanks to Rodolphus" Bellatrix said snaking her arm around Rodolphus, who looked pleased that he was able to help.

" Yeah, it's going to be interesting" Andromeda said trying to sound as interested as she could.

" You're so lucky" Alicia said, " I'd die to go"

" Maybe next time, Nott" Rodolphus said.

They started talking in excited voices about the meeting and Andromeda decided to take out a book and read. She already didn't want to go, and she didn't think listening to the others talk about it like it was Christmas was going to make her feel any better.

Several hours later, she found she was exhausted and before she knew it she had fallen asleep.

" Hey, An" someone said shaking her awake a little while later.

Andromeda's eyes shot open and she realized her head had been resting on Rabastan's shoulder. She got up quickly.

" Oh, sorry" she said running her hand through her hair.

Rabastan shook his head, " Don't worry, it was nice. I just wanted to tell you we're here"

Andromeda noticed everyone getting their bags down from the overhead and looked out the window. They had arrived at the Platform.

Andromeda reached up and grabbed her bag and followed the other's out of their compartment and off the train.

As usual, the Platform was littered with parents. Mostly witches and wizards, but the few Muggle parents were clearly visible. Andromeda recognized Ted's parents almost instantly. Even before he got there.

She watched as he walked over to them and they hugged him tightly. Andromeda smiled softly and then spotted her own family. Her sisters were already standing with their mother and their Aunt Walburga, who was clutching Regulus' shoulder tightly.

" Time to face the dogs" Sirius said in her ear, appearing behind her as they walked together towards their mothers.

" There you are, Andromeda" Druella said as her daughter approached.

" Hello, Mother" she said quietly.

Druella looked less happy with Andromeda than she had the last time she had seen her, and she knew why. By now, her mother had heard all from Bellatrix about how she was not with Rabastan and she knew a lecture was forth coming.

" Hello, Mother" Sirius said to Aunt Walburga. He said the word mother like it tasted bad in his mouth, and Walburga gave him a curt nod.

" How is your term?" Druella asked her girls.

Narcissa launched into an animated detailing of everything she had done the last four months since she had been home and Andromeda let her gaze look back over to where Ted was standing with his family.

They were talking closely and they kept looking over at her. At one point, Ted's father wore a large smile, gestured towards Andromeda and took a step towards her, only to have Ted grab him by the arm and pull him back, shaking his head furiously.

Andromeda knew he was telling them not come over, a wise choice.

His parents looked slightly disappointed, but his father slung an arm over Ted's shoulder and then led him back through the platform.

" We should go," Druella told her daughters, " we're having dinner at the Rosiers tonight"

Andromeda and Bellatrix both sighed. The Rosiers were their second cousins, and neither of them liked to spend the evening sitting in their stuffy sitting room listening to Evan tell their parents all the stories that the three girls had already heard about.

But Andromeda didn't argue. Instead she took her mother's arm and apparatted back to Black Manor, putting on a brave face.

Easter Holiday at Black Manor didn't differ slightly from Winter Holiday. All Holiday's at the Black's were the same. Andromeda spent all of her time locked in her room, until her parents forced her to have dinner with them or at some other Pureblood's house. She had only been home for three days and had already had dinner with the Rosiers, the Lestranges, and The McNair's.

The only light that Andromeda had found was that Tuesday was approaching steadily, and she told her parent's that she was going to Diagon Alley for the day. Neither of them questioned her, or why she was wearing a dress to go shopping. Bellatrix and Narcissa had gone to some old jewelry store and so Druella was just thrilled to have the house empty. She had no idea what her middle daughter was actually planning on doing that day.

Andromeda herself, was extremely nervous. She brushed her hair over again four times before leaving the door of Black Manor and leaving the massive front gate.

Black Manor was by far the most impressive house in the neighborhood. It even outshone the old Salazar Mansion.

Hundreds of years ago, the neighborhood Salazar Circle, was founded by Salazar Slytherin himself and it was only open to the most respected Pureblood Slytherin families.

Andromeda waised in front of the wrought iron gate for the Knight Bus. Looking at her house from the outside, she could see how imposing it looked. With the large engraved B on the gate, and the tall shrubbery walls.

Even their home looked menacing.

Andromeda faced forward and the Knight Bus came speeding down the road in front of her before coming to a quick stop in front of her.

She had only taken the Knight Bus a few times, but the memories stook out in her mind clearly.

She walked around to the door and climbed in, handing the wizard conductor a galleon. He eyed it strangely and Andromeda took her seat near the front, gripping the pole in front of her to keep herself steadied as the bus sped forward at an incredible speed.

It only took a few minutes before the bus pulled into the side entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Andromeda and two other wizards left the bus quickly and watched as it sped forward again.

The two wizards walked into the Leaky Cauldron, and instead of following them Andromeda walked in the opposite direction towards muggle London. Ted said he would meet her in front of the Bookshop three blocks away.

She walked hesitantly down the street. She had never been in muggle London alone before. Her wand was tucked in her boot in case she needed it quickly.

The bookshop was a small second hand bookshop, and Andromeda felt herself relax when she saw Ted standing there waiting for her. He was dressed in muggle clothes and Andromeda smiled as he saw her.

" Hey, you found it" He said happily walking over to her.

Andromeda nodded happily and he pulled her into a tight hug.

On every side of her, muggles were passing them and didn't look twice at them. It was fascinating to Andromeda that they could stand there like that and it didn't matter.

" And" Ted said practically reading her bewildered mind, " I can even do this and no one will care" he said kissing her quickly.

Andromeda kissed him back and felt for the first time, no worry.

A wide smile spread across her face, " So this is what it feels like to be normal?" she asked him.

" I guess so" he said taking her hand and walking with it laced in his.

She was amazed at how normal this felt. They were walking around like any other couple. Ted had never held her hand like this before. There had been nowhere to do it before.

She followed him to a lot behind one of the shops that was full of cars. Andromeda had seen them in the Prophet once, but never in person. Ted stopped in front of a red one with four doors and opened the door for.

Andromeda hesitated. It looked terrifying.

" Andromeda, it's completely safe, I promise" Ted told her, grinning like mad.

" It looks like a giant death machine" Andromeda said eyeing all of the gears, lights and levers on the inside of the car.

" I promise I am a safe driver and no harm will come to that pretty, pureblood face of yours" Ted assured her, running one of his thumbs across her cheekbone.

" Okay" Andromeda said and climbed into the car.

She could still hear Ted laughing as he climbed into the driver's seat and roared the car to life.

She jumped slightly as the car turned on and began to move beneath her. She gripped the handle on her door tightly.

" You might want this" Ted said strapping a belt over her, " It's a seatbelt, in case theres a crash or something" he said clicking it into place next to her hip.

" A crash?" Andromeda asked in a panic.

Ted laughed and rolled his eyes, " It's a precaution, there isn't going to be a crash, okay?"  
Andromeda nodded, and Ted held one of her hands, and began to drive. The car glided effortlessly through the London streets and reminded Andromeda of a much smaller Hogwarts Express.

She had to admit, it was a sign of how much she trusted him that she was letting Ted drive her in this car thing. There seemed to be a lot of muggle driving rules. Ted would frequently stop, or slow down at certain lights or signs, and while Andromeda had no idea what was going on, he seemed too.

" So what's that?" Andromeda asked pointing to a large metal box that was hanging from the wires on the street. It kept changing colors from Green, to yellow, to red.

" The traffic light?" Ted asked her chuckling, " It changes colors so you know when to stop and go"

Andromeda continued staring at it, " And who controls it?" she asked.

Ted shook his head, " No one, it's a machine"

Andromeda stared at it in disbelief, and Ted laughed again.

" You are very cute, when you are confused" he told her.

She smiled, " Glad I amuse you"

Ted turned the wheel in front of him in his hands and the car turned down a suburban street.

The street was lined with trees, and on both sides there were houses. Most of them had a car in front of them. Andromeda was amazed at all the different sizes and shapes they came in.

Ted pulled the car in front of a light yellow house. It had another gray car in front of it too.

" So this is it" Ted said undoing his seatbelt and opening the door.

Andromeda loved it. The house was so cute. It was exactly the kind of house she imagined Ted living in.

She couldn't figure out how to get the door of the car open, so Ted came around and helped her.

" Hey Ted!" a boy from the house next to his called. There were three boys kicking around a ball about the size of a quaffle, and they waved affectionately at Ted.

" Got yourself a girlfriend at the fancy school of yours, did ya Teddy?" one of the older looking boy's kicking the ball asked.

" Hey guys" Ted said and waved at them before placing his hand on Andromeda's back and leading her to the front door.

" Theyre my friends from before Hogwarts" Ted told her, " they all live on this street too"

" What was that ball they were kicking?" Andromeda asked as they approached the door.

" A football" Ted told her, " it's a sport like quidditch but it's on the ground and theres no brooms"

" Sounds boring" Andromeda said with a frown.

Ted chuckled, " Well, I much prefer Quidditch too"

He walked ahead of her and opened the door to his house, leading Andromeda inside.

Andromeda felt extremely nervous as she walked into the house with him. It was pretty, The whole house was decorated with yellow and blue, and was covered with muggle inventions that Andromeda had no idea what they were.

" We're here" Ted called into house, and taking Andromeda's hand.

She gripped it gratefully, and hoped he wouldn't noticed it was shaking slightly from nerves.

A moment later, Ted's parents rounded the corner and smiled brightly.

Ted's father looked like a much older version of Ted. They had the same sandy blonde hair and crooked smiles. But it was in his mother where you could see so many of his features. They had the same bone structure and the same bright blue eyes.

" You must be Andromeda!" his mother cried pulling her into a hug, " I'm Linda, I'm so excited to meet you"

" It's wonderful to meet you too" Andromeda said.

" And I am the original Edward" Ted's father said shaking her hand.

Ted laughed from behind her, " The only Edward as far as I'm concerned"

Linda smiled, " I'm sure you've already heard all about Ted's distaste for his given name"

Andromeda laughed, " He may have mentioned it, but I happen to like it"

Linda flashed her son a wide smile, " See, I like her already"

Ted rolled his eyes, but he had a smile across his face.

" Teddy! Teddy! You're back!" A small voice cried and a small blond haired girl who Andromeda realized must be Suzie, jumped into Ted's waiting arms.

" Hey there, Suzie Q" he said picking her up.

The little girl looked at Andromeda and back to Ted, " Is this your girlfriend, Teddy?" she asked quickly.

Ted laughed and nodded, " Yup, this is Andromeda"

" Hi, Meda. I'm Suzie" the little girl said happily.

" Well, nice to meet you, Suzie" Andromeda said smiling at how all of the Tonks' seemed to give her nicknames. It must be in her nature.

" Well we just put lunch on the table" Linda said, " come join us"

Andromeda followed Ted through the house and to the table where there was a lunch spread set out. She was seated in between Suzie and Ted, and she was grateful to be so close to him.

" This all looks wonderful" Andromeda told Linda as everyone began eating.

Linda beamed, " Thank you, you're so sweet"

Andromeda smiled at her, and looked back to Ted, who was smiling at her fondly.

" So" Linda said, " Ted tells us that you're a Purebred or something"

Ted started coughing into his glass of water at his mother's words and eyed her strangely.

" Pureblood" Andromeda told her, " and yeah, I am"

" Huh, and what does that mean exactly?" Edward asked her, " Ted was telling us a little about it, but we were having difficulty understanding what it meant, or why your parents couldn't know"

Andromeda felt her cheeks blush bright red, and Ted looked at her with an apologetic look. He looked like he wanted to crawl under the table.

" Dad, maybe we should talk about it later" Ted suggested.

" But Ted, you won't tell us anything about it, and we are very curious" Linda told her son, " we just figured Andromeda wouldn't mind explaining it to us"

" It's okay" Andromeda told Ted. He looked at her like he didn't quite believe what she was saying.

She took a deep breath, she hated that she had to say this.

" You see" Andromeda started, " In the wizarding world, there are three different kinds of Witches and Wizards. Purebloods, whose whole family are magical, Halfbloods who have some magical or some magical parentage with some muggle blood, and Muggle-borns who are witches or wizards born to muggle parents"

" Muggles, meaning non-magic people right?" Linda asked.

Andromeda nodded.

" So Ted then would be muggleborn?" Edward asked.

" Yeah, Dad" Ted said from beside Andromeda.

" So why is it problem if you two are together?" Linda asked.

Andromeda and Ted exchanged a look, and Ted answered for her.

" Well," he started, " most Pureblood families believe that they are better than Muggleborns because all of their blood is magical, and so they are very racist towards muggleborns. They don't believe you should even associate with them, so for Andromeda, as a pureblood to date a muggleborn, would be prohibited"

Andromeda was so embarrassed she felt like she was about to melt in puddle in her seat. She stared at her plate avoiding the eyes of Ted's parents.

" So, you're family wouldn't be happy if they found about you two then?" Linda asked.

Andromeda shook her head, " If my parents found out, I would be disowned and shunned from the family" she said quietly.

" The Black's are one of the most serious Pureblood families in the wizarding world" Ted added.

He caught Andromeda's eyes and tried to offer her a comforting smile.

" You must really like our son if you are willing to risk that" Edward commented.

Andromeda and Ted looked at each other and smiled.

" I really do" Andromeda told him.

" Oh, Edward. It's like a modern Romeo and Juliet!" Linda said clutching at her chest.

" Like what?" Andromeda asked Ted. Never having heard of either of those two people.

Ted smiled, " It's a famous muggle love story, but considering it ends in the two of them killing themselves I don't know if I really fancy being compared to it"

" Not the death, obviously" Linda said quickly, " just the forbidden love"

" Forbidden love" Ted repeated, " I think that about sums us up well"

Andromeda let out a small laugh and he squeezed her hand again.

The rest of the day passed by and went extremely well. Andromeda loved both of Ted's parents and found that they got along well. She adored his sister as well.

She spent almost an hour sitting on the floor of Suzies room with Ted, while she introduced her to all of her toy horses.

And before she left, Ted made sure to show her how to use the television. He found it very amusing how excited Andromeda got when she got it to work.

The day had been so wonderful that Andromeda was dreading having to go back home and she was mostly silent on the drive back to London. Ted pulled into the same parking lot as before and got out of the car. Andromeda followed and they both stood by the car.

" I think that went really well" Ted said to her, " I know my parents loved you"

" I really liked them too" she told him, " and Suzie"

Ted smiled and pulled her towards him again, bringing her lips to his.

They stayed there for a few minutes, leaning against Ted's red car. Neither one of them wanting to end the day. It had been a perfect day and the only one they had ever had where they could kiss each other or hold each other's hand without having to worry about who was watching.

" We'll make this work" Ted told her, " Whatever we have to do, we'll figure it out, okay?" he said, his face was inches from her still and his eyes were serious.

Andromeda nodded and hoped he was right. She had never felt something was right more than she did when she was with Ted.

" I'll see you at school" she said placing a quick kiss on lips.

" See you, Dromeda" Ted said.

Andromeda walked away and she felt a strange sense of relief wash over her as she sat down and waited for the Knight Bus.

Maybe somehow she and Ted could find a way to make this work. They at least had to try.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

After having such a successful lunch with Ted's family. The rest of Andromeda's Easter holiday started to feel like dread. As Friday night approached closer, she started to feel even more anxious about the upcoming Knights of Walpurgis meeting. It was all Bellatrix could talk about, and even their parents were encouraging their attending. Cygnus and Druella believed that these Knights had the right idea about muggles and muggleborns and were proud of their daughters for taking an initiative and getting involved. Andromeda always felt like her face was burning during these conversations. Her parents were thrilled that she was going to a meeting of a group who despised muggleborns while Andromeda was in love with one.

She just hoped that she would only have to go to the one meeting and then it would dissolve itself. She had no idea what she was going to do if they expected her to join them permenantly.

So after dinner on friday night, Andromeda put on jeans and a long sleeve jacket. She was hoping to not try any unecessary attention to herself.

She left her room and ran into Bellatrix in the hallway. Her sister's massive curly hair was hanging loose and she was dressed in a short lace black dress.

" Honestly, Andromeda" Bellatrix said looking at her with a sigh, " we want to make a good impression"

Bellatrix reached forward and pulled the tie out of Andromeda's hair and let it fall over her shoulders.

" That's a little better" Bellatrix said observing her again.

The two girls walked down the massive staircase and into the living room. Both of their parents were seated on the couch together, reading the prophet. A glass of firewhiskey was sitting in front of both of them.

They both looked up when the girls came downstairs.

" So are you leaving for the meeting then?" Druella asked taking a large sip from her glass.

" Yes' Bellatrix said proudly. It was obvious that Bellatrix was extremely excited, and eager to show her parents.

Noticing the positive reaction that this got from their parents, Andromeda followed her lead and smiled widely.

" Well I must say, I'm quite proud of both of you" Cygnus said looking at his daughters with a proud grin.

" We really have to go" Bellatrix said grabbing her cloak and handing Andromeda hers.

" Well be careful and enjoy" Druella told them.

Andromeda nodded and slipped her cloak on over her shoulders.

" And you're sure you know where this is Bella?" Andromeda asked her.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and held out her arm for her to hold onto to, " Of course I know where we're going, Andromeda. Honestly"

Andromeda gripped her sister's arm and instantly felt her sister apparate. Andromeda was getting more and more comfortable with the feeling and now it didn't feel as strange.

She and Bellatrix landed on a cobblestone driveway of a large brick mansion.

" Where is this?" Andromeda asked Bellatrix. Bellatrix was staring at the large mansion with a glassy look in her eyes.

" Well baby sister" she said with a smile, " this is one of Salazar Slytherins old houses"

Andromeda looked back at the house with strange expression. It hwas hard to believe that the founder of her house had once lived here.

She felt as though she should feel more of a connection with it, and be looking at it with same admiration that Bellatrix was.

She followed her sister down the pathway to the front door and watched as Bellatrix used the iron knocker to knock on the large front door.

The small window on the front of the door opened and a small portion of a man's face, and a wand were visible.

" Names?" the man croaked.

Andromeda looked to Bellatrix quickly. Her sister looked straight at the concealed man and told him.

" Bellatrix and Andromeda Black, of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black"

Andromeda hated when her family ended that identifier to the end of their sentences. Wasn't their last name enough? Why did they always have to add ancient and noble.

But it had worked. The door opened and revealed a pudgy middle aged man, who stepped out of the way so that the girls could enter.

Andromeda could feel his eyes on them as they stepped into the house. The inside of the house was even more massive and imposing than the outside.

the entire house was decorated in lavish and expensive furniture. The large sitting room was littered with large armchairs that were being filled with the massive amounts of witches and wizards assembled.

The man from the door took Bellatrix and Andromeda's cloaks and hung them up.

Andromeda stared at how many people were present here and felt her stomach drop, these were all people who if they knew what Andromeda did in her spare time wouldn't blink twice at despising her.

Bellatrix dissappeared so Andromeda walked around the room, looking desperately for anyone she knew.

They're were too many people. Andromeda recognized people her parents knew, but no one she knew personally. She felt abandoned by Bellatrix.

" You look slightly lost" someone said behind her.

Andromeda turned around and saw that the voice belonged to an attractive man in his mid thirties. He had green eyes and slightly wavy brown hair, and he was smiling at her with a slightly amused expression.

" I feel a little lost" Andromeda admitted, looking around the room at all of the people surrounding them.

" It's your first meeting then?" he asked.

She nodded.

The man smiled, " A Slytherin though I see" he said gesturing to the emerald pin on her sweater.

She nodded, " Yeah, I am"

The man smiled, " I was a Slytherin myself, you're what a six or seventh year?"

" Sixth" she answered.

This man was extremely friendly. Andromeda scanned his face carefully trying to see if she had ever met him before.

" I'm Andromeda Black" she said extending her hand.

The man smiled, " Ah yes. A Black. I believe I've heard about you and your family. Very impressive"

Andromeda smiled slightly. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

" Aw, My Lord. I see you've met Andromeda" Rabastan said coming beside her.

Andromeda was so thankful to see someone she knew she, that she welcomed his percense. But something confused her. He had called the man in front of her, my lord. But he couldn't be..

" Why yes, It seems I have" the Dark Lord said with a smile.

Andromeda's eyes widened and she became nervous, " Oh, so you're..I'm sorry...I didn't know" she rambled on.

The Dark Lord only laughed, " So it seems I am looking at your future wife, Mr. Lestrange"

Andromeda looked at Rabastan and then back at the man in front of them.

Rabastan furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Andromeda, " Oh, well I guess so" he said nervously. He looked at Andromeda with a pleading look, trying to make sure she wasn't offended. She wasn't. Andromeda had spent her entire teenage years knowing that she was expected to marry Rabastan.

" It seems you're a lucky girl, Ms. Black. Mr. Lestrange here as been quite the help to me lately" the Dark Lord said.

Andromeda tried to muster a smile. If it were anyone else, those words would have made them exceptioanlly happy. But they terrified her.

" The meetings about to start" the Dark Lord told them, " perhaps you should find your seats"

And he walked away just as quickly as he had appeared. Andromeda felt her mind racing. She had just met one of the most powerful and dark wizards in the wizarding world.

" That was the Dark Lord" Andromeda said to him in disbeleif to Rabastan. She was almost in shock.

Rabastan nodded, " Impressive isn't he?"

Andromeda gave him a small nod.

" Come on, it's about to start" Rabastan said said placing his hand on Andromeda's back and leading her to the chairs in the sitting room.

Rabastan led her to two seats next to Bellatrix and Rodolphus.

" I see you two found each other" Bellatrix said from her chair. She was sitting forward anxiously.

" Yeah" Rabastan said as they sat down, " Andromeda met the dark lord"

" What!?" Bellatrix hissed, " you met him?"

Andromeda nodded, " It wasn't a big deal, Bella"

" It's a huge deal" Bellatrix told her, " you have to introduce me, I can't believe this"

Andromeda nodded, even though she wasn't keen on ever talking to him ever again. There was a slight rumbling amongst the wizards in the chairs and Andromeda looked up at the front of the room.

The Dark Lord had taken a step forward and was standing in front of all the chairs. Everyone had silenced the moment he took a step forward. Andromeda found that to be the strangest thing she had witnessed. The only other person she had ever seen quiet an entire room, was Dumbledore. Even the minister of magic had difficulty doing that.

" Friends, Followers, Loyal Servants" the Dark Lord began, " I have gathered you all hear today for another meeting of the Knights of Walpurgis"

Some of the people in the crowd clapped loudly, and Andromeda noticed that Bellatrix was among them.

" For those of you who are new" the Dark Lord began, " this group of individuals is comprised of only the most talented and pure individuals of the wizarding world who are dedicated to remaining the most affluent and powerful wizards in the world"

More clapping ensued and Andromeda noticed then that almost every individual in the room was a Slytherin and everyone was a Pureblood.

The Dark Lord smiled widely, " and our way of remaining this way is to keep our world safe from the evil filth that threatens it, and threatens us. Mudbloods and their filth"

Almost everyone in the crowd were on their feet now, cheering loudly and clapping.

Andromeda felt her stomach flip uncomfortably as she realized that all of these people were united in their hatred for muggleborns.

Andromeda knew she didn't belong here, and she wanted desperately to leave. But she knew she couldn't. She had to stay.

" So today, my ambitious cunning followers, we will be discussing the dangers mudbloods pose to us, and the reasons we're superior" the Dark Lord said.

The entire rest of the meeting was spent discussing everything that Andromeda had heard her entire life. The older members of the Knights discussed how filthy and dangerous 'Mudbloods' were and the reasons that Purebloods were superior.

Andromeda had never heard so many ridiculous things in a hour before. They had the most ludicrous and unfounded ideas about muggleborns and such superior ideas about themselves.

She was barely listening anymore. She stretched slightly and her hand brushed against Rabastan's on the arm rest. Misreading her signals, Rabastan took her hand and intertwined it with his.

Andromeda held her breath for a second. She didn't know what to do. Letting go would start something, so she didn't pull away, and sat there feeling guilty.

His hand was much smaller than Ted's and their wasn't any callouses like Ted's had.

Rabastan's hand was far too soft, and all Andromeda could do was miss Teds.

She was so focused on Rabastan's hand she wasn't even paying attention to the meeting now.

It had apparently ended, because everyone was getting up front their chairs and leaving. Rabastan and Andromeda both got up from their chairs, and she used the moving as an excuse to let go of his hand.

As they walked out of the row of chairs, Rabastan placed his hand on Andromeda's waist leading her. She almost shivered under his touch.

" Andromeda," Bellatrix said grabbing onto her arm quickly, " Can you introduce me to the Dark Lord please?"

Her eyes were wide with excitement and she her lips were upturned into a smile.

Andromeda didn't want too, but the way Bellatrix was looking at her suggested she shouldn't argue.

" I can come with you if you want" Rabastan told her.

Andromeda shook her head, " No, that's okay, I'll introduce her" she told him, taking Bellatrix by the hand and walking over to the swarm of people surrounding the Dark Lord. She hated that they called him that. After hearing him speak about how horrible muggleborns were, she didn't think he deserved to be called a Lord.

She walked through the parted crowd and saw him standing there. Someone had just walked away from him and Andromeda took the oppritunity to walk over to him.

" Excuse me" Andromeda said quickly to him, " Sorry, I just wanted to introduce you to my sister"

The Dark Lord looked at them both and eyed Bellatrix with a strange smile.

" Bellatrix Black, my lord" Bellatrix said extending her hand to him.

" Lovely to meet you" he said kissing her hand.

Bellatrix smiled and Andromeda knew that smile well. It was the one Bellatrix used when she had someone in her sights.

" So, did you enjoy our little meeting?" the Dark Lord asked her.

Bellatrix nodded her head, " Very fascinating, I find I agree with you on almost everything"

" Almost everything" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

" Mmhmm" Bellatrix said biting her lip.

" Bella, we should go, it's late" Andromeda told her quickly, in an effort to get her away from the Dark Lord.

" Yes, well you should get your sister home, then. Ms. Black" the Dark Lord told her.

Bellatrix nodded slightly and turned to Andromeda. Andromeda nodded and they both walked towards the entryway and grabbed their cloaks.

Andromeda opened the door and Bellatrix followed closely behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Bellatrix began talking excitedly.

" Wasn't that amazing Andromeda?" Bellatrix asked, " He was so powerful and he knew so much, he's a genius. I can't wait to join"

" Mmhmm" Andromeda said avoiding the question. She had found the entire meeting unsettling. But she knew both the Lestranges and Bellatrix had loved it.

Andromeda had never felt so out of place in a group of people she was supposed to identify with.

Easter marked the end of their week at home, and Andromeda could not wait to go back to school. Cygnus and Druella had decided that they would be having a traditional Easter dinner at their home with family.

Andromeda sat in her bedroom, in the emerald dress her mother had picked up until everyone had arrived. They had decided to invite most of the Black family, including those who normally didn't make the invitation list. So in addition, to Sirius and his family, Uncle Alphard, and her father's parents, they were inviting Druella's parents Melinda and Wilmond, and her great aunts Cassiopiea and Dorea and their families, which to Sirius' amusement meant that James would be attending also.

Everyone arrived early and instantly everyone began to group up. It was interesting to Andromeda to see how her family spread out.

Her parents sat with Walburga and Orion, and both sets of her grandparents sat together. Bellatrix was sitting beside Walburga, and Narcissa was talking with Regulus.

Recently, Andromeda endured the family events with Sirius, but since James was here, he and Sirius were off somewhere probably making the evening more bearable, and while they wouldn't mind if Andromeda joined, she felt bad encroaching.

So Andromeda sat by herself in the drawing room until her Uncle Alphard arrived.

" Oh Goody, my aunt Cassiopeia has arrived" Alphard said as he sat down beside her.

" Not a fan of her, are we?" Andromeda asked looking over at her aunt.

She was a harsh looking woman with long, straight black hair. She had the kind of face that frightened children.

Alphard stared ahead at her, " Not particularly, I remember an instance from my youth where she beat me on Platform nine and three quarters for being ' a queer" he said crossing his legs and adjusting the collar of his velvet suit.

Andromeda turned to her uncle with a new understanding. He was young, in his early thirties and quite attractive, but Andromeda had never seen him with a woman, and most Pureblood men were married within five years of graduating Hogwarts.

" Uncle Alphard" Andromeda said dropping her voice. Everyone else was a good distance away from them now, so they were completely out of earshot.

" Are you gay?" she asked quietly.

A small smile appeared on her uncle's face, and the expression he wore reminded her of Sirius.

" Andromeda, in a family like ours, we are not allowed to be different" he told her, " so to all of them, I am a very picky bachelor"

He dropped his voice even lower, " But to you, my favorite niece, yes I am gay"

Andromeda smiled widely, " I can't believe I never knew that" she said quickly.

Alphard smiled, " Yes, well up until very recently, I didn't know that you were among the inner circle of blood traitor Blacks"

Andromeda let out a small laugh. From across the room, she saw her mother eye her carefully. She knew Druella didn't like Uncle Alphard, and wasn't happy that Andromeda was sitting with him.

" So" Alphard said taking a sip from his glass of firewhiskey, " do tell me what did you do about your little problem with the muggleborn?"

Andromeda sat up straighter and looked around to make sure that no one was looking at her or close enough to hear what they were saying.

She tucked her hair nervously behind her ear and looked at her uncle again.

" I solved it" Andromeda said with a wide smile.

Her uncle raised an eyebrow and smiled at her, " Are you trying to tell me that you're seeing a muggleborn, dearest Andromeda"

Andromeda smiled, " Uncle Alphard, in a family like ours, we are not allowed to be different" she told him, " so to all of them, I am very excited to marry a pureblood"

Her uncle smiled widely, " Oh, terribly witty" he said laughing, " I am however, impressed and quite proud"

Andromeda smiled but it faltered slightly. She was still worried about talking about this in her house. It seemed too risky.

Easter dinner passed quickly, Andromeda spent the dinner sitting quietly between Narcissa and Bellatrix, making eye contact with Alphard whenever one of the family members said something racist or bigoted.

The evening ended when Sirius and James charmed the bread rolls to smack aunt Cassiopeia, and Druella kicked the Potters out, telling them very rudely to teach manners to their ' bloodtraitor miscriant son' and Sirius was hit by Uncle Orion.

The evening was so uncomfortable, that Andromeda went up to her room early.

She was sitting on top of her bed, staring at the wall in front of her, when someone knocked on her door.

" Come in" Andromeda called.

The door opened and Bellatrix and Narcissa stood in her doorway.

" Mom and Dad are fighting" Narcissa said sitting down beside Andromeda on her bed.

Bellatrix closed the door and sat down on Andromeda's other side.

" What are they fighting about?" Andromeda asked.

" Family, what else" Bellatrix said rolling her eyes.

Andromeda frowned. Whenever the Blacks had a family event, Druella and Cygnus spent the next two hours complaining about half of the family.

" Who this time?" Andromeda asked.

Narcissa groaned loudly and Bellatrix laughed slightly.

" Aunt Dorea, and Uncle Alphard" Bellatrix told her, " and of course James and Sirius' little stunt"

" I hate James" Narcissa said crossing her arms, " he's so annoying"

" And he's a bloodtraitor" Bellatrix said, " everyone knows he's always chasing after a mudblood"

Andromeda stared down at her feet.

" Do you ever wonder what these holidays are going to be like when we're all grown and married" Narcissa asked.

Andromeda pursed her lips, " I doubt it'll change any"

Bellatrix laughed, " Hopefully, our grandparents will all be dead and Andy and I will be sitting on the couch with the lestranges"

Andromeda thought about it, and it terrified her. She had maybe three or four years, and then that would be her reality. By five years she would be expected to have a child. She couldn't even think about it.

Bellatrix dropped her head onto Andromeda's shoulder and three of them sat there until Cygnus and Druella's yelling died down.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The Easter holiday had only served to remind Andromeda how much she loved being at Hogwarts. It was so easy for her to get back into her routine. Being at home had also made her realize that how complicated her life had become. She was already so busy with her classes, prefect duties, and Quidditch that she barely had any free time, and the free time that she did have was split between Ted, Hestia and the Slytherins.

She was so busy that she barely had any time to think about how much she was risking. It had gotten to the point, where Andromeda didn't have any time to sneak away and spend time with Ted. For the last week or two, all of their interaction had been limited to Potions and patrols.

Her classes had also become much harder. She had to spend hours there after dinner.

The friday after she returned from Easter holiday, she skipped dinner to finish her charms homework, and stayed there until she had to patrol, at which point she abandoned her things in the library and met Ted on the fourth floor.

He was waiting for her when she got there, leaning against the corridor wall.

" You're alive" he said in mock horror, " I was beginning to think the library had swallowed you whole"

Andromeda smiled and let out a small laugh, " I know, I've been a little absent lately"

Ted grinned and walked over to her, " Somehow, I'll find it in myself to forgive you" he said with a chuckle.

" Oh how chivalrous of you" Andromeda said sarcastically.

Ted slipped his hand under her jaw and pulled her lips to his and wrapped his other arm around her.

Andromeda had missed him. She had spent the entire week with Slytherins and it had only made her miss him more.

So she responded more enthusiastically then she normally would, lengthening the kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck.

" What!?" a shrill voice called from behind them.

Ted and Andromeda instantly broke apart in fear and looked to where it had come from.

Andromeda's chest tightened when she saw who was standing there.

Emma was standing there wide eyed with a horrified expression. She was clutching a wrapped Pumpkin Pasty and looked wild like she was about to scream.

Both she and Ted and Andromeda stood staring at each other in silence.

Of all the people Andromeda didn't want to see this, Emma was pretty high up on the list.

Emma cast one last horrified glance at the two of them, she tore off down the corridor.

" Stay here" Andromeda shouted at Ted and ran after her.

She rounded the corner, and saw Emma heading for the stairs.

" EMMA" she shouted, " wait please"

Andromeda grabbed her arm and stopped her from climbing the stairs, " Emma please, listen to me"

Emma turned around and crossed her arms angrily. Her eyes were wide and full of tears.

Andromeda had never seen her look so furious.

" What Andromeda?" She shouted at her, " What could you possibly say?"

Andromeda took a deep breath, " Look, Emma I know what you saw upset you-"

" Upset me?" Emma shouted. She ran her hands through her hair angrily and looked at Andromeda with a look of pure loathing, " Andromeda what you were doing was disgusting. He's a mudblood. Do you have any idea what you've done? What about your family? What about Rabastan?"

" I know, Emma." Andromeda said and tears began to roll down her face.

Emma stared at her lip trembled.

" I've thought about this so much, and I know how much I've risked and the people I'm hurting, and I am so sorry" Andromeda said quickly, " but if you care about me at all, Emma, you won't tell anyone. You'll keep this a secret"

Emma crossed her arms and shook her head, " Do you have any idea what you are asking Andromeda?"

Andromeda nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Emma looked at her and sighed, looking around to make sure no one was behind them.

" Andromeda, I'll keep this a secret" Emma said quickly.

Andromeda looked at her in disbelief. She hadn't expected this answer.

" But you have to break up with him" Emma added.

Andromeda felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach. Emma looked at her with such sincerity and force, that she knew she wasn't joking.

Andromeda had two choices. She could tell Emma no, stay with Ted and watch her entire life implode, or she could agree and break up with Ted, letting him go and going back to her regular life.

Emma raised her eyebrow and looked at Andromeda, waiting for an answer.

Andromeda wiped the tear from her eyes and nodded, " I'll break up with him"

Emma sighed, " Thank Merlin, you know this is the right choice"

Andromeda nodded and bit her lip.

" I should go" Andromeda told her, " and end things"

Emma nodded, " Okay, I'll be in the common room. I'll wait up for you"

Andromeda nodded and Emma pulled her into a hug.

When she let go of her, Andromeda walked away from her and headed back to the fourth floor where Ted was.

She felt a horrible sensation as she realized what she was about to do. It killed her inside.

When she rounded the corner she saw him. He was sitting down against the wall, staring at the floor with his hands in his hair.

When she walked over, he looked up instantly and got to his feet. He was pale and was obviously nervous.

" Dromeda, what happened. Is she going to tell anyone?" he asked quickly coming over to her and holding her hands.

Andromeda wiped the remnants of her tears from her cheeks and shook her head.

" That's good isn't it?" Ted asked her, " why are you crying?"

Andromeda took a deep breath and let go of his hands.

Ted was looking at her with concern, he tucked her hair behind her and looked at her face.

Andromeda pulled away slightly. She was having difficulty even finding the words.

" Ted," she said opening her eyes, " I have to break up with you"

The words tasted sour in her mouth, and the reaction that they caused was even worse.

Ted stared at her in disbelief. He didn't move at all. He just stared at her.

After another minute he blinked, " What?"

" I have too" Andromeda said quickly, " If I don't, Emma will tell everyone and my entire life will be over"

Ted blinked again and his eyes widened, " So you're just going to leave then, and what pretend that all of this never happened?"

His voice was angry now, but Andromeda could hear the twinge of pain in it.

Andromeda bit her lip and tried to hold the tears back.

" Ted, you know I don't want to do this, but I have too" Andromeda told him.

Ted just stared at her with an expression of pain.

" Dromeda, I love you" Ted reminded her, " and you want me to just go back to the way it was before. You want me to just pretend to be another muggleborn who's afraid of you?"

Andromeda frowned, " I'm so sorry, Ted"

Ted looked as though he had been hit. He just stared at her.

Andromeda reached down and unhooked the bracelet from her wrist. She took it off and handed it to Ted.

He shook his head, " Just keep it"

Andromeda bit her lip again, " I can't, I'm sorry" she said and shook her head, slipping the bracelet into his hand.

She took one last look at Ted and walked away.

She felt like she was going to pass out and she just kept walking until she reached the Slytherin Common Room.

She didn't stop until she was in her dormitory.

Everyone was asleep, except for Emma. She was sitting on her bed, obviously waiting for Emma.

Andromeda nodded at her and crawled into her own bed, feeling as though her feelings were going to swallow her whole.

Andromeda had never been as upset as she was now. It had been two weeks since she had broken up with Ted, and she found it had depressed her more than she had ever thought possible. She spent most of her time avoiding him. They didn't say anything to each other in potions, they just sat staring forward, and she had convinced Evan to switch patrols with her, after promising she would tell lie to his parents about his detention records.

Just as quickly as her entire life had changed when Ted entered it, it went back to normal as soon as he had left.

Andromeda had been spending all of her time with the Slytherins. She had even distanced herself slightly from Hestia. She hadn't wanted to, but Hestia spent so much time with Ted that constantly brought it up, and for right now it was more than she could handle.

She knew she couldn't be with Ted, it would ruin both of their lives, but she missed him a lot and being around him in any capacity upset her.

Overall, being without Ted had changed Andromeda more than she had anticipated. She had become far more introverted than she thought, and she had almost ripped Sirius' head off the other day when he asked her how it was going with her boyfriend.

Mainly, she tried to keep herself from thinking about it. Which proved harder than she thought.

She walked into Transfiguration one morning and took her seat next to Hestia.

" Hey Black, been awhile since I've seen you" Hestia said as she took out her book.

Andromeda nodded, " Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I've just been-"

" Avoiding me?" Hestia offered.

Andromeda gave her a sheepish look. She had been, but she felt guilty admitting it to her.

" I'm sorry, Hestia" Andromeda said quickly.

Hestia shook her head, " Andromeda I get it, you didn't want to be reminded, and I know that you know that he and I still talk and we're friends, but that doesn't mean you and I can't talk anymore"

Andromeda smiled at her and felt part of the weight on her chest lessen.

" So you are okay then?" Hestia asked.

Andromeda shrugged, " I'm trying to be"

Hestia frowned, " So I know I just said I wouldn't talk about him, but in case some small part of you was wondering, he's not doing much better"

Andromeda felt her chest tighten. She hated that he was upset. If there was one thing that she wished for in this situation, is was that what she did wouldn't hurt Ted.

" That's not very comforting" Andromeda said running her hands through her hair.

" Sorry" Hestia told her, " I just thought you would want her to know"

Andromeda nodded and quickly changed the topic to Hestia's latest conquest. She had recently struck up a relationship with Otto Bagaman.

The gossip helped to distract Hestia from talking about Andromeda, and for that she was grateful.

When Transfiguration ended, Andromeda made her way to Care of Magical Creatures. This class had been the only class besides Potions she had been dreading.

She usually passed the time by talking with Alfie, but after the whole situation, neither of them really spoke. She now spent the class talking with Xenophilius Lovegood, who would talk her ear off about mythical creatures.

By the time lunch came around, Andromeda found herself comforted at the Slytherin table.

She walked down the Great Hall and took a seat in between Alicia and Emma. She and Emma had grown much closer in the time that had passed since the incident. It seemed that because Andromeda had followed her word, she proved more trustworthy to her and it had strengthened their friendship.

Rabastan and Evan walked over to the table and sat down.

" I've decided that education is rubbish and we simply shouldn't have to go to any more classes" Alicia said shredding the sandwich in front of her.

" If that means I don't have to go to Potions than I agree" Andromeda told her taking a sip from her pumpkin juice.

Alicia laughed, " I'm impressed Andromeda, you never want to skive off classes"

Andromeda shrugged.

" So hypothetically" Rabastan said to her, " If someone could find a way to get you out of staying potions today, you'd be happy?"

" Thrilled" Andromeda told him.

Rabastan nodded, and then turned to Alicia, " So, Nott I heard your older sister was dating that guy who's trying to get flying carpets back into England"

Alicia rolled her eyes, " Don't remind me Rabastan, if you met him you wouldn't even know he's a Pureblood…"

Lunch moved quickly, and when it was over, the group of Slytherins walked to the dungeons.

Slughorn wasn't there yet so all of the N.E.W.T. students were gathered around the entrance. Andromeda stood firmly with the Slytherins, not interacting with the Gryffindors or the Hufflepuffs.

Slughorn walked down the hallway a second later and unlocked the door.

Andromeda sighed before taking her seat next to Ted. He was looking straight forward and avoiding her gaze. He looked different. Ted always looked like a different person when he wasn't smiling or happy.

Slughorn walked to the front of the room and introduced their topics today. They were brewing a potion that could cure simple injuries and it wasn't particularly difficult. Ted and Andromeda both focused on their potions, sitting as far away from each other as possible.

About ten minutes into the class, Rabastan walked by her holding a flask of his potion and tripped, splashing both of them in blue liquid.

" Oh sorry Andromeda I didn't mean to cover you in this dangerous potion" Rabastan said loudly and winked at her.

From beside her she heard Ted make a noise that sounded a lot like grunt of annoyance.

" Had a spill did you two?" Slughorn asked coming over to them.

Rabastan nodded, " Yes Professor, it seems I got it all over Andromeda and I"

Slughorn frowned, " Well I suspect you two should go the Hospital Wing to make sure you're both alright"

Rabastan grinned at Andromeda and nodded at Slughorn.

Andromeda grabbed her bag, realizing what Rabastan had done. They two of them left the potions classroom covered in blue liquid. The second they were out of the classroom, the two of them burst into laughter.

" I can't believe you did that" Andromeda said laughing loudly.

Rabastan grinned at her, " You did say you wanted to get out of potions"

Andromeda laughed, " Yeah I did, I just didn't think you'd act on it"

Rabastan smiled, " Well your wish is my command, Black"

Andromeda was thrilled to be out of class, but she didn't know how she felt about Rabastan doing a favor like this for. She thought it only encouraged the inevitable.

But now that she wasn't with Ted, she knew she should be encouraging it, seeing as it was her future. But for some reason she couldn't get herself to think that way.

It had been almost a month now, and Andromeda had no idea how so much time had already passed. It had been more difficult than she could have imagined, but it had gotten to the point where whenever she and Ted saw each other, neither of them gave one another the long sorrowful glances that they had in the beginning.

Andromeda had managed to distract herself sufficently from the problem. She had spent most nights this week on the Quidditch pitch practicing for the upcoming game against Ravenclaw.

She was particularly tired one morning at breakfast from a late practice the night before, when Alicia came stomping into the Great Hall with Emma and stood right in front of her.

" Hey Alicia, wait what's wrong" Andromeda asked.

Alicia was obviously livid. Her entire face was contorted with rage and she stood in front of the Slytherin table, staring directly at Andromeda.

" Tell me it's a joke" Alicia snapped coldly, " tell me that Emma is just looking for my approval and tell me that she's lying"

Andromeda felt her chest tighten and she looked to Emma, who was standing cowardly behind Alicia.

She had told her. Andromeda knew that, but she hoped maybe she would be able to downplay it.

" Alicia, I don't know what you're talking about" Andromeda said quickly, most of the Slytherin table was looking at them now and Andromeda could feel the panic rising in her throat.

This couldn't happen.

Alicia recoiled like she had been slapped and it only seemed to make her angrier.

" Tell me Andromeda, that you were not snogging that MUDBLOOD TONKS!" she roared.

She had been so loud that the entire hall quieted instantly.

Andromeda could feel everyone's eyes on her and she thought she was going to pass out.

" Alicia, shut up" Bellatrix said quickly getting to her feet, " thats obviously a lie. Andromeda wouldn't do that, would you?"

Andromeda stood up to and she felt like her knees were not strong enough to hold her up. Everyone in the Hall was staring at the three of them now.

" I saw her do it!" Emma said loudly, " Andromeda was kissing that mudblood and it didn't look like the first time, I think they've been seeing each other!"

The entire Slytherin table turned into an uproar as people began shouting and yelling horrific things at Andromeda. She didn't know what to do. Her chest was constricting to the point where she was having difficulty seeing straight.

Bellatrix's expression turned malicious as she turned turned to Andromeda.

" Tell me it's a lie" she hissed at her.

Tears began to roll down Andromeda's face and Bellatrix's mouth turned into a snarl.

" Bella, I'm sorry!" Andromeda cried, " You don't understand, I didn't mean for it to happen, it just-"

" You're a good for nothing, Bloodtraitor!" Alicia shouted at her, " nothing but a mudlover!"

Bellatrix was shaking with anger. She reached her hand out and slapped Andromeda with a stunning amount of force against the face.

" You're no sister of mine" she snapped icily, " and certainly, no Black"

Everyone in her house was looking at her with disgusted and furious looks.

Andromeda felt like the entire room was spinning. She couldn't breathe. She did the only thing she could think of and ran from the hall. She could still hear the shouts from the Slytherin table as she ran.

It had been worse than she imagined. Her worst fear in the entire world had come true and now she didn't know what to do.

Everyone hated her. Her own sister had disowned her, and the second her parents heard about this, they would too. She would be the biggest disappointment in the Pureblood world. She had officially become the biggest bloodtraitor she knew.

" ANDROMEDA!" a familiar voice called after her as she ran down the corridor. She knew it instantly, even though it was a voice she hadn't heard once in the last month.

She turned around to see Ted running after her. He didn't stop until he had caught up with her.

" Are you alright?" he asked her quickly, holding onto her shoulder.

She didn't feel alright. She felt like she was going to die. Her chest was rising and falling and tears were streaming down her face.

She shook her head at him, staring at the floor. Ted sighed and pulled her into a hug, letting her bury her face in his shoulder.

She stood their like that for a minute sobbing into Ted's shoulder, while he ran his hand down her back to comfort her.

" It's happened" she sobbed, " They all hate me, I'm going to be disowned"

Ted held her tighter, " I am so sorry, Dromeda. This is the last thing I wanted to happen. I can't believe it did"

Andromeda sobbed again, and Ted didn't let go of her.

" What am I going to do?" Andromeda said when they let go, tears covering her face, " I'm going to have no family"

Ted held her hand, " You have other people who care about you, Andromeda. You have Hestia, Emmeline, Alfie, and you have me. And I don't care how many looks we get, or what names people call us, because I love you Andromeda, and you're not going through this alone" he reminded her.

Andromeda wiped her eyes, " How can you still love me after what I did to you?'

Ted shook his head, " You broke up with me so that it wouldn't destroy your life, I was upset because I missed you, not because I didn't understand. Unlike everyone else in your life, you don't have to earn my love, Dromeda. And the way I look at it now, our lives have been completely upturned anyway, so we might as well get to be together through it"

Andromeda felt herself start to cry, but she stopped it and pulled Ted towards her, kissing him quickly.

He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear.

" It's going to be okay, Dromeda" Ted assured her.

Andromeda let Ted comfort her in the moment. It was too sweet not to. But Andromeda knew Pureblood people better than anyone. And to them, this was a betrayal.

It wasn't going to be okay.

That first day was one of the worst days of Andromeda's life. Everywhere she went in the castle, even her classes, everyone was talking about her. Every corner she rounded, and every time she sat down, she could see people staring at her, and she could hear the quick whispering of their gossip. The worst part of it, was she understood. It was some of the biggest drama to ever happen at Hogwarts. Pureblood Slytherin Andromeda Black and Muggleborn Hufflepuff Ted Tonks had been hiding a secret relationship, and now she was ostracized from her house. It was unheard of.

The gossip wasn't the worst part. By far the worst part, was the way that the rest of the Slytherins were handling it. They were furious. They wouldn't even look at Andromeda.

She spent her first period Transfiguration class sitting next to Hestia. Who swore to her that it was going to get better once the appeal of the story died down and something else happened.

Andromeda then told her that unless one of the Pureblood Slytherins announced that they were actually a muggleborn in disguise, she was going to be a topic of discussion for a while.

She spent Care of Magical Creatures standing with Alfie, who though he felt bad about what happened, was glad that Andromeda and Ted were back together.

Andromeda was mostly quiet. She was glad she was back with Ted too, but the rest of her life was imploding around her and she didn't quite know how to process it.

She left Care of Magical Creatures early, to avoid the group of students in the hallway on the way to lunch. The Hallway was mostly empty, but she did run into one person who she would rather slept in the Black lake then see right now.

Rabastan stopped in front of her, with his bag slung over his shoulder. His expression changed instantly. He looked furious and Andromeda wanted to disappear.

" I just have one question for you" Rabastan said roughly, " how long have you been with that mudblood?"

Andromeda felt her face burn scarlet. She looked to the floor.

" Since January" she said quietly, looking back up to his face.

Rabastan's fists tightened and his mouth was pulled into a line. He looked at her like he couldn't even stand to be in the same room with her.

" You'll get what you deserve, bloodtraitor" he snapped at her, " you can count on that"

Andromeda felt her stomach plumet and instead of fear, she felt a new emotion she hadn't felt about the situation yet. Anger.

" It may come as a shock to you" Andromeda snapped, " But I am not going to be chastized for choosing someone who I thought I was better"

Rabastan narrowed his eyes at her and clenched his fists tighter around the strap of his bag.

" If you hang out with filth like mudbloods long enough, you'll turn into one, Andromeda" he said calmly and walked away.

Andromeda was fuming. She had wanted to kick him in the shins.

Classes had just ended and students were piling into the hallway on their way to the Great Hall. They were all looking at Andromeda, and their gazes were making her uncomfortable.

She walked towards the Great Hall and stopped when she got to the open doors. She didn't know what to do. Sitting at her house table was not an option. She wouldn't be surprised if they wouldn't even let her.

She was standing there contemplating what to do, when someone came behind her and placed a hand on her waist.

" Dromeda" Ted said, looking at her with concern.

The students walking by them into the hall, were staring at the two of them.

" How important is food anyway?" Andromeda asked him, " I could just summon some here, right?"

Ted frowned at her and Andromeda sighed.

" I can't go over there, Ted" she said quietly.

" Then don't" Ted told her, " Come sit at the Hufflepuff table, we won't bite I promise"

Normally, Andromeda would have said no. Whenever someone from another house sat down at a different table, people tended to stare. But Andromeda couldn't go to her own table, and the pleading look on Ted's face made her agree.

" Ok" she said quietly.

Ted smiled, " Come on" he said taking her hand and the two of them walked into the hall. It was worse then being outside. Everyone's eyes followed their interlocked hands and watched them as Ted led her over to the Hufflepuff table.

The Hufflepuffs looked extremely confused and the Slytherins were glaring at the two of them with such venomous stares that Andromeda couldn't even look over there.

Even the the teachers were looking at the two of them from the high table. Andromeda was sure she had just made eye contact with Dumbledore.

" Well I think this is the first time so many people have looked at the Hufflepuff table" Alfie said from the other side of Andromeda.

Some of the Hufflepuff's had laughed, but other's were still staring at Andromeda and Ted.

Charity Burbage's eyes were practically burning holes into Andromeda's forehead.

There was a slight disruption when from the Gryffindor table, Hestia had grabbed Otto's arm and dragged him over to the Hufflepuff table.

" Room for two more bloodtraitors?" she asked, and the Hufflepuffs near her moved so that she and Otto could sit across from Ted and Andromeda.

" Thank you" Andromeda told her appriceatively.

Hestia just shook her head, " Don't worry about it" she told her with a smile.

" Merlin, everyone is looking at us" Andromeda said stealing a glance around the room.

" Just ignore them" Ted told her, placing his hand on her knee, " they'll get over it"

He looked at her with such sincerity and compassion, Andromeda felt inclined to believe him.

The rest of the day went just as horribly. The entire potions class, Slughorn included, spent most of the hour staring at Ted and Andromeda's table. And Ted had to keep whispering " Just ignore the" to Andromeda ever so often so she didn't get to upset.

Normally, she would have gone to the Common Room after class, but she was avoiding it. She spent the rest of the afternoon on the grounds with Ted and Hesita, who had decided amongst themselves that she wasn't allowed to be alone right now. They took turns attempting to make her feel better.

When dinnertime rolled around, she ate at the Hufflepuff table again, at which point Sirius came over to her and told her how proud he was of her and how happy he was for the both of them.

It made Andromeda feel slightly better knowing that at least one member of her family didn't hate her guts.

Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Regulus hadn't looked in her direction once since the incident that morning.

Andromeda spent the couple hours before bed locked in the library writing to her Uncle Alphard, telling him what happened. She wanted him to hear it from her first. Ted sat across from her when she drafted it, and went with her to the Owlry to tie it to the leg of one of the school Owls.

It was almost curfew when the two of them walked back to the dungeons near the Slytherin Common Room.

" How bad is it going to be?" Ted asked her.

Andromeda bit her lip, " It's going to be awful" she said quietly.

Ted's mouth turned into a pout, " I'd invite you to spend the night my dormitory, but that might just get you more attention"

Andromeda shook her head, " I have to do this"

Ted looked at her, and it looked like he had tears in his eyes, " Listen, Andromeda, if staying with me is going to cause more problems, we can end this. I'll do that for you. I don't want you risking anything for me. You've already done so much and-"

Andromeda cut him off, and pulled his lips to hers. Ted responded by pulling her closer to him, and lacing his hands in her hair.

" Ted, this has already happened" she told him, " the worst possible thing that ever could have happened has happened, and you know what, I don't care. I'm not going to lie about what makes me happy anymore. I love you, and I'm going to keep loving you"

Ted smiled and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them he traced his finger over Andromeda's cheek.

" I love you too" he told her and kissed the top of her head.

Andromeda nodded and turned to enter her Common Room. She had never been so afraid to do anything in her entire life. She walked into the dimly lit room and the few Slytherins who were still up, eyed her maliciously as she made her way to the dormitory.

Bellatrix was sitting in the corner scowling ferociusly. Andromeda tried to ignore her and just walked to her dormitory.

All of the sixth year Slytherin girls were in their room and they all looked up when they saw Andromeda walk in. None of them said a word, but there eyes all followed her as she walked over to her bed.

Andromeda jumped when she saw what they must have been waiting for. Her blankets were drenched in a pool of scarlet blood.

Alicia, who was closest to her, smiled " Since we know how much you love filthy blood, Andromeda"

Andromeda scowled, ripped the dirty blankets from her bed and tossed them in the corner. She replaced them with a clean set from her trunk and climbed into bed pulling the bed curtains closed with an angry yank.

Now, seperated from the rest of them, Andromed tried to calm herself down.

It had to get better.

But it was going to get a lot worse.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

When Andromeda woke up the next morning, she had thought that the day before had been the worst day of her life. She had no idea how wrong she was. The rest of dorm mates, gave her dirty looks and scowled at her as she got dressed. She tried to ignore them as best she could. They were the bigoted, racist ones, but Andromeda was the one who was suffering because of it. She grabbed her bag and left the room quickly, not wanting to be around them any longer than she had to be. The rest of the Slytherin's eyes followed her as she walked out of the Common Room. Andromeda didn't think she had ever seen anyone in Slytherin who was as largely despised as she was right now. She truly had gotten under the skin of hundreds of Purebloods.

She tried not to think about it. She waited outside of the Great Hall for Ted, and when he and Alfie walked up from the Hufflepuff Common Room, the three of them walked together to the Hufflepuff table and sat down. This ilicted much less stared than it had yesterday, and for that Andromeda was grateful. She knew it would never be fully forgotten. All of the Slytherins would never forget, but she desperately hoped the rest of the school would grow bored of the topic soon. She didn't know how much more of the stares and constant gossip she could take.

" So, how was last night?" Ted asked her.

Andromeda ran her hand through her hair and avoided his eyes, " I found about a pint of blood in my bed, so that should give you some idea"

Ted looked horrified and Alfie blinked in confusion.

" Why blood?" Alfie asked her.

Andromeda shrugged, " They made some comment about how I liked dirty blood. I'm sure it was their immature idea of trying to scare me"

" That's disgusting" Ted said shaking his head.

There was a screech as the Owls flew in through the window and began to drop letters and parcels in front of their owners. One of the large school Owls dropped an envelope in front of Andromeda. Her name was on it in a large, curly script.

Both she and Ted eyed it strangely. Andromeda tore it open and read it quickly.

Andromeda,

I am very sorry for you. I cannot even begin to understand what you are going through at the moment. I know that our family and our house contains some of the cruelest and most vile people i've ever known. It is because of this that I most warn you Andromeda, this will not be over soon. This is a betrayl that they will not be likely to forget. Be aware, and be cautious.

I know this must be difficult, but know I am proud of you. Give my best to that boyfriend of yours.

\- Alphard

When Andromeda finished it, she handed it to Ted to read. He read it quickly and then handed it back to her.

" Do you know what he means by ' its going to get worse'?" he asked her.

Andromeda shook her head. She was just as confused by her uncle's words as Ted had been.

They finished breakfast chatting about the day to come, and when it ended Hestia walked over to the table to walk with Andromeda to Charms.

They left the Great Hall with a cluster of students and were about to head towards charms when Andromeda stopped dead in her tracks.

" Andromeda, what's wrong?" Hestia asked quickly.

Andromeda didn't answer and just continued to stare at the two figures approaching her.

Walking side by side, down the entryway of the castle with angry scowls plastered on their face, were Cygnus and Druella Black.

" _ANDROMEDA WALBURGA BLACK_!" her mother shouted as they approached her.

Andromeda was paralyzed with fear and Hestia looked from her to the two adults approaching with a look of concern.

The students who were leaving the Great Hall had now clustered behind Andromeda and Hestia, anxiously watching the scene in front of them enfold.

Druella walked over to her middle daughter and grabbed her roughly by the forearm.

" Have you any idea what you have done, Andromeda?" she demanded, " the damage you have caused to this families reputation?Associating like that with a mudblood? Have you gone mad? You are a Pureblood and a Black, do you realize what you have done to yourself. I doubt you'll ever find yourself a respectable husband now!"

The veins in Cygnus' forehead looked like they were going to pop as he looked at his daughter,

" Do you have any idea what we've been through!?" he shouted at her, " Your mother and I get a letter from Bellatrix and the Lestranges! You've embarrassed us all beyond belief and I assure you that you will never do it again!"

Andromeda's eyes widened in fear. Almost the entire school had assembled behind them.

Ted was standing a little behind Andromeda with the rest of his house, staring at her parents in fear and anger.

" You're coming with us" Druella said yanking on her daughter, pulling her forward, " I will not have any daughter of mine behaving this way, and if it's this school then fine, you will be leaving and you'll never see that mudblood again!"

" No!" Andromeda said yanking her arm back from her mother, " I'm not leaving"

She took a step back from her.

" Oh yes you are" her father said grabbing her by a fistful of her hair.

Andromeda roared out in pain and pulled away from him.

Bellatrix and Narcissa were standing at the edge of the crowd, watching the scene with their arms crossed.

For the first time since this had all happened, Andromeda didn't want to go back to being a Black. She didn't want to be the passive, obedient daughter who listened to their bigoted and racist ideas and didn't get what she wanted. She wasn't going to let them do this.

" I'm of age" Andromeda told them forcefully, " and I'm not leaving Hogwarts"

Druella scowled and Cygnus' mouth twitched in anger.

" Fine then" Cygnus said in a rage of anger, " I hope you enjoy being an orphan! You're no longer a Black. No daughter of mine will behave this way. Consider yourself disowned"

Andromeda felt like someone had punched her in the stomach, but she didn't show it.

" I hope this was worth it" Cygnus spat at her, " I hope that mudblood of yours was worth being a bloodtraitor. I hope it was worth it losing your family"

" If thats how you feel then you're no family of mine" Andromeda snapped, crossing her arms.

" How dare you!" Druella shouted and slapped Andromeda across the face with as much force as she could muster.

Andromeda leaped back from her and clutched her face, tears were now streaming down her face.

" Fine" She roared at her parents, " Blame me for this if you need too, but this isn't me, this you and your bigoted superiority complexes!"

Cygnus shook with anger and drew his wand on Andromeda, " I'll make you regret saying that you insolent little bitch" he snapped.

At his words, Ted had run forward and pulled Andromeda behind him. Andromeda wished he hadn't. No he was in just as much danger as she was.

" So this is the mudblood filth that you've given everything up for" Druella scowled, and took a step back as if the two were diseased.

" I ought to kill you both" Cygnus snapped, " for the shame you've brought our family"

The doors behind Cygnus and Druella opened and Dumbledore walked out, flanked by Professor McGonagall.

" Cygnus, Druella," Dumbledore said firmly, " Unless you plan on taking either of your other two daughters out of this school, I suggest you leave before I am forced to call the Aurors"

Cygnus took his wife's hand and scowled at the Headmaster.

" Oh I will be leaving" he snapped at him, " You have caused this problem and now she is yours to deal with. I will not spend any more time in an institution that encourages this!" he snapped pointing at Andromeda and Ted.

Andromeda watched as her parents left the castle, and she felt an enormous weight lifted off of her chest.

" You all classes to get to" Dumbledore said to the crowd assembled behind them. With a slight murmur, the crowd began to disperse.

Andromeda however, didn't move. Ted was still holding onto her and Hestia was at her side. They were talking to her but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She was in shock.

" Ms. Black?" Dumbledore asked her. He was standing in front of her.

" Yes?" Andromeda asked being momentarily pulled out of her trance.  
" Would you like to go to the Hospital Wing?" the Headmaster asked her.

Andromeda shook her head firmly. She wasn't physically hurt, and she didn't want to make a bigger deal out of what was happening.

" No, I think I'd just like to go to Charms, Professor" she told him.

Hestia snickered at her words and turned to the Headmaster, " I'll make sure she gets there alright, Professor"

Professor Dumbledore nodded curtly and turned to Professor McGonagall. The two of them left the hall, leaving Ted, Hestia and Andromeda alone.

" Well that was.." Hestia trailed off.

" An average day in the life of Andromeda Black" Andromeda joked.

Ted and Hestia both let out a small laugh.

" You promise me you're okay?" Ted asked her.

Andromeda nodded and kissed his cheek, " I'm fine. Go to Herbology"

She didn't want to lie to him, but she was so worried about what had just happened she knew telling him would only make it worse.

Ted cast one last glance at her, kissed her forehead and then walked off towards the greenhouses.

Hestia and Andromeda walked back towards charms.

Andromeda felt a horrible sense of dread as she thought about what had just happened. She had no family and she had no idea where she was going to go during the summer, but she tried not to think about it.

" So those are your parents?" Hestia asked.

Andromeda nodded, " Dear old Mum and Dad"

Hestia nodded, " So now I think i understand your hesitation to start things with Ted"

Andromeda shook her head, " I don't regret it" she said quickly, " I think it was the best decision I've ever met"

Hestia smiled, " Well I'm sure Tonks would love to hear that"

Andromeda mustered a small smile, and Hestia hooked arms with her and walked together to Charms.

The next few weeks were easier than Andromeda could have anticipated. She had managed to adjust to her ostracizm as well as she could. Now, she the only time she spent around Slytherins was when she went back to her dormitory to sleep. Other than that, she avoided them like the plague.

She now ate all of her meals at the Hufflepuff table. She had gotten to know most of them much better and it seemed that they had accepted her. She spent most of her free time in the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor common rooms too, something that frustrated the Fat Lady beyond belief.

Ted, Hestia and Alfie had made it their mission to keep Andromeda from feeling sad about the fact that she was no longer welcome around her fellow Slytherins and so far they had done a decent job. As much as she wished her family had been able to accept what she wanted, Andromeda knew they never would. And even though she was familieless now, she was glad that she was able to have a future she wanted.

She hadn't spoken to any of her family besides Sirius since the incident. Bellatrix and Narcissa would avoid her at all costs, and if they were forced to be around her, they would pretend she didn't exist. The Quidditch team had joined her sisters in their avoidance. They ignored her for most of practice and when they did have to refer to her they simply called her the " Bloodtraitor Chaser". Andromeda had considered quitting the team, but Ted had talked her out of it. He had reminded her how much she loved Quidditch and shouldn't have to give it up for them. So she stayed, trying to ignore the team and focusing on the game.

The rest of the Slytherins however had taken a different approach. Instead of ignoring her, they were making her life miserable. Their new favorite hobby was tormenting her.

She had had so many obsecenities yelled at her lately that they had lost all meaning. She wasn't the

one. Ted was also getting his fair share of it too. The Slytherins were furious at him for being ' the mudblood who ruined a Black' so he was being harrassed as much as Andromeda.

Andromeda had apologized to him a hundred times for it, but every time he had told her that it wasn't her fault and he would endure it hundred more times to be with her.

The other thing that had changed dramtically, was the fact that they didn't have to hide their relationship anymore. Though they didn't like to flaunt it or draw too much attnetion to themselves, they were now able to do all things that they couldn't before.

They no longer had to worry about holding each other's hand, or hugging. It didn't matter anymore.

One day, Slughorn had been late to class, and all of the N.E.W.T students were gathered around the entrance to potions and the Slytherins were standing off in the corner staring at Andromeda and Ted, who were standing next to each other closely.

Andromeda scowled at them and turned to Ted, " They are staring, they're quite literally staring at us" she complained.

Ted smiled for a second, " Well then let's really give them something to look at, shall we?" he suggested, and pulled Andromeda towards him, holding her by the waist and kissing her.

Andromeda smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs next to them laughed and when they broke apart, they noticed the Slytherins were all scowling with looks of disgust on their faces.

Ted winked at Andromeda, and she wrapped an arm around his waist. She didn't care what any of them thought. What she and Ted had was more happy and functional than any relationship any of them had ever had.

Andromeda spent the rest of the day in classes and after her last one, she and Ted decided to enjoy the warm weather out on the grounds.

They were sitting down by one of the large beech trees and looking at the massive Black lake in front of them.

" So I'm holding you to naming our son Edward you know" Andromeda told him.

Ted wrapped an arm around her shoulders and grinned widely, " Dromeda, if I am lucky enough to marry and have kids with you, you can name them anything you want. It can be Nymphadora for all I care"

" I like the sound of that" Andromeda said holding his hand tightly,

Ted laughed, " Nymphadora it is then" he joked.

" So what else do you have planned for our life then?" Andromeda asked.

Ted grinned, " Well we're going to get married and buy a cute little blue house, with a garden full of Crumple Horned Snorcacks and garden gnomes"

" A blue house really?" Andromeda asked, " why?"

Ted grinned again and flashed Andromeda a crooked smile.

" It's the color you get when you mix yellow and green" he reminded her.

Andromeda couldn't help but smile." You're an idiot" she told him.

Ted burst into laughter.

Andromeda moved closer to him and they stayed there talking until dinner.

" So where exactly have you two been for the past two hours?" Hestia asked at dinner with a raised eyebrow.

" The grounds, Hestia" Andromeda said shaking her head.

Hestia wiggled her eyebrows, " Sure, you were"

Ted and Andromeda looked at each other and rolled their eyes with a wide smile.

Dinner ended and Andromeda said goodbye to everyone. She had some Herbology homework to finish and decided she needed to go to the library and work it.

The library was almost empty. Only a few people were sitting at the tables. Andromeda found one near the back of the library and sat down with a large copy of 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi.

Herbology was one of the subjects she always found to be the easiest, but during the last few months she had spent so much time worrying about everything else that she had to catch up a bit. She had always been a perfect student and she wasn't going to let everything going on in her life disrupt that. Before this year, she had always wanted to be Head Girl, but now she doubted that that would happen.

She stayed in the library perfecting her essay until Madam Pince kicked her and the few other students out.

She was exhausted, which was probably why she wasn't paying much attention. She walked towards the Slytherin Common Room and prepared herself for the fifteen minutes of scowls and dirty look she would have to endure.

She was just passing the abandoned classroom on the second floor when someone grabbed her from behind and held their hand over her mouth.

For a brief second, she hoped it was Ted messing around, but she soon realized it was someone much taller and rougher.

The figure dragged her into the classroom and locked the door behind them. Andromeda turned around and realized the figure that had pulled her into the room was Rabastan. Bellatrix and Rodolphus were also in the room. Andromeda had never been so confused. She stared at the three people in front of her in confusion. Rabastan and Rodolphus both had their wands drawn.

" What's going on?" Andromeda demanded. Her voice was cracking and she felt her chest tighten.

" Grab her" Bellatrix snapped at them.

" What?" Andromeda demanded and felt both of the Lestranges' grab one side of her and wrestle her to the ground.

Andromeda was lying on her back and both of the Lestranges' were pinning her down.

Bellatrix hovered her and smiled a vicious smile.

" So you think you can just betray our family and soil our name with that mudblood and get away with it?" she shouted at her.

" Bella please, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you" Andromeda sobbed.

Rabastan's knee was digging into her side and she was trying not to anger any of them any more than she already had. She was in a vulnerable position.

" Hurt me?" Bellatrix demanded, " the only one who's going to be hurt here is you"

She reached into her belt and pulled out a large charcoal dagger. Andromeda had seen it a hundred times. It belonged to their father and was one of the oldest Black family heirlooms.

" Keep her still" Bellatrix ordered Rodolphus, and slid up the sleeve of Andromeda's sweater, exposing her bare arm.

Andromeda realized what she was going to do about a second before it happened.

Bellatrix reached down and began to carve something into her arm.

It was one of the most real pains Andromeda had ever felt. She could feel it piercing her skin and the blood running down her arm and through her fingers.

She had never been in this much pain before and the worst part was that her sister was doing it.

She couldn't watch. She turned her head away from her and looked at Rabastan. His normally happy, bright face was contorted with cruelty and he looked at her with a look of pure hatred.

It felt like it when on for hours, though it couldn't have more than ten minutes.

By the time Bellatrix had finished and pocketed her knife, Andromeda was in so much pain that she didn't want to move.

" Let this be a reminder for what you've done" Bellatrix said standing up.

" Come on" she said to the Lestranges and in one quick movement they had all left the room.

Andromeda sat up. Her arm was covered in deep scratches, dripping with blood. She gasped when saw what Bellatrix had carved into her skin.

The world 'Mudlover' was carved into her skin.

Andromeda began to cry as she saw it. She tried to wipe the blood from it with her other sleeve but it only stung. She continued crying, she had thought the worst was over, but it turns out it wasn't.

The door opened and Alfie walked in.

" Andromeda? Is that you?" Alfie said walking over to her and crouching down, " I heard someone crying from outside"

Andromeda sniffed and tried to wipe her tears from her eyes.

" Merlin, what happened?" he asked looking at her arm, " What happened?"

Andromeda shook her head, " It's nothing"

Alfie continued to stare at her, " Andy its bleeding really bad, can I take you to the hospital wing?"

Andromeda shook her head, " No, I'm okay"

Alfie looked at her arm again. Andromeda stood up and looked at it again. It was bleeding pretty badly but the last thing she wanted was to go to the Hospital wing.

" Then just let me get Ted okay? Stay here" Alfie said and darted from the room.

Andromeda looked back down at her arm and she couldn't believe that Bellatrix had done this. It was pretty deep, but that wasn't the worst part.

Andromeda's father had told her when she was young that the dagger had been dipped in some magical potion that made whatever it carved permanant.

She would have the word mudlover carved into her arm forever, which she was sure was Bellatrix's intention.

The door opened again and Alfie walked in with Ted.

" Dromeda, what happened?" Ted said grabbing her arm and looking at all the blood. He looked at the word carved into her arm, and shuddered. He obviously knew what it meant.

" Who did this to you?" he asked her. He was still holding her arm.

Andromeda just shook her head, " Don't worry about it, it's not important"

" Not important!?" Ted demanded, " they attacked you, Andromeda. They carved an insult into your arm and left you to bleed, and you're telling me it's not important"

" No it's not important!" Andromeda said loudly.

She could feel the tears stinging in her eyes as she grew more upset. She didn't know why she couldn't tell him or why it was so important to her, but she felt like telling him would make it real.

" Why won't you tell me who did this to you?" Ted demanded angrily, " they hurt you"

It was the only fight Andromeda and Ted had ever gotten into and Alfie was standing near the door looking extremely uncomfortable.

" Ted, please just stop" Andromeda said avoiding his eyes.

" I just don't understand why you can't tell me" Ted told her seriously.

" Because it's my sister!" Andromeda told him, tears running down my face, " my own sister, who I grew up with and shared parents with, and she got her boyfriend and his brother to force me to the ground and cut into my arm. And its horrible and humiliating. My own sister hurt me, Ted. That's why I didn't want to tell you"

Her tears started falling down her face.

" Dromeda, I didn't know. I'm so sorry" Ted said pulling her into hug.

" How could she do this?" Andromeda sobbed, " I'm her sister"

The more she said it out loud, the more it hurt her. She couldn't believe that Bellatrix had done this to her. She knew that Bloodstatus was important to her, but she never thought it would actually come between them like this.

Ted shook his head, " Andromeda it's not you. She's the problem"

Andromeda wiped the tears from her eyes and Ted picked up her arm again.

" So remind me why you won't let me take you to the Hospital Wing" Ted asked her.

She shook her head firmly, " No, Ted. I don't want anyone to see this, I can't go there. Half the school will know by tomorrow if I go"

Ted nodded, " At least let me help you clean it up, okay?" he said.

Andromeda nodded and Ted led her out of the room.

" I'll meet you in the dormitory" Ted told Alfie, " thank you for making sure she was okay"

Alfie nodded, " I'll see you down there"

Ted led Andromeda to the prefects bathroom on the fifth floor helped her rinse the blood off of her arm, and let her squeeze his hand as he ran the soap over it.

He stopped when it was clean and ran his thumb over the now scarlet letters.

" Mudlover" he said quietly, " this is because of me"

Andromeda shook her head, " Ted, this wasn't about you, it was me. It was my family "

He frowned and ran his finger over the words again, shaking his head.

" Sometimes I think that if I had never kissed you, you're life would be so much better" he said quietly.

Andromeda blinked at him in confusion, taking a moment to process what he was saying.

" Ted, that's not the way it happened" she told him, " I liked you before you kissed me, it would have happened anyway, and in a strange way I'm sort of glad it did"

Ted offered her a small smile. He hugged her to him and Andromed wrapped her arms around him.

" I still can't believe I have to sleep there tonight, under the same roof as the rest of them" she said looking at her arm again, " I don't want to go back there tonight"

" So hypothetically" Ted said, " what if you didn't?"

Andromeda looked at him in confusion, " What do you mean?"

" Just stay in the Hufflepuff dormitory tonight" Ted said, " everyone's already asleep anyway, and then tomorrow you need to talk to Slughorn about this"

Andromeda frowned. The last thing she wanted to was talk to Slughorn about this problem, and sleeping in the Hufflepuff Dormitory would only further the talk about them.

" I don't know, I'm pretty sure that's breaking three school rules" Andromeda told her.

Ted frowned at her and gave her a knowing look.

" Come on," Ted told her and they walked to the Hufflepuff Common Room.

Andromeda still didn't know how she felt about anything, but she followed Ted down the corridor.

Ted tickled the painting and led Andromeda through the common room. It was completely empty. She followed him into the dormitory. Ted's dorm mates were all asleep. So the two of them crawled into his bed and drew the curtains.

Andromeda felt drained, both physically and emotionally. She had expected a horrible reaction from her parents about her situation, so they're anger and violence didn't surprise her, but some small part of her had hoped that Bellatrix would be able to deal with it and love her through it.

But she hadn't, and tonight proved that.

Andromeda rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her.

" It's going to get better," Ted told her, " I promise"

Andromeda pulled herself closer to him, and hoped he was right.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Andromeda woke up early the next day. She didn't want to be the subject of scandal when the four other sixth year Hufflepuff boys woke up to find Andromeda in their dormitory. She climbed out of the bed slowly so she didn't wake Ted.

He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. He had a small smile on his face and Andromeda couldn't help but smile too.

She crept quietly out of the dormitories and through the Common Room. She got a few strange looks from the few people in the common room, but people looking at her was something she was used too.

She made her way back to the Slytherin Common Room. It was strange. For the past six years the Slytherin Common Room and dormitories had been a source of comfort for her. A home away from home, but ever since her icy treatment from the other Slytherins. It became just a place to house her things.

She walked into the dormitory quietly and noticed that most of her dorm mates were asleep.

The only one who was up was Lucia. She was sitting on her bed running a brush through her strawberry blonde hair.

Andromeda changed into a clean uniform and gathered her things for the day. She hated being in this room and it was a matter of time before Alicia and Emma woke up. Out of all the Slytherins that hated her, Alicia and Emma were the most relentless. She was sure it was because she had lied to them for so long, but now they made it their mission to make her life miserable.

She was just about to leave the dormitory, when Lucia grabbed her by the shoulder.

" Andromeda, hold on a second" she told her.

" What do you need, Lucia?" Andromeda asked. She wasn't in the mood to hear another lecture about how she disgraced Slytherin or how big of a bloodtraitor she was.

Lucia fiddled with her hair, avoiding Andromeda's gaze.

" I just wanted to tell you that I think our house is overreacting" she said quickly.

Andromeda stared at her in disbelief. She had never known Lucia well. Her family had forbidden her from getting to close to any halfblood Slytherins. They said they weren't the right kind of Slytherins.

" I just think that you can be a Slytherin without worrying about blood status" Lucia said.

Andromeda looked at Lucia and instantly understood where she was coming from. For the six years they had shared a room, Emma Alicia and Andromeda had never once made an effort to be close to Lucia, simply because of her bloodstatus. She knew what Andromeda was feeling.

" Oh, thank you" Andromeda told her, " that means a lot"

Lucia smiled and then ducked back into the dormitory. Andromeda felt slightly better. She knew that most of her house would never change their ideals. To most of them, she would be a nothing more than a bloodtraitor, but Lucia had confirmed that their were Slytherins who weren't all bad.

Andromeda suddenly felt much better. She had always prided herself on being the kind of Slytherin whom other houses could look to to set an example for a decent Slytherin, and it was comforting to know that there were other people in Slytherin house who also acted this way. The entire house was not lost, and it shouldn't be defined by its most extreme inhabitants.

Andromeda made her way towards the Great Hall. Students were starting to arrive, but it was still pretty empty.

Andromeda took her usual seat at the Hufflepuff table and opened the Transfiguration book she had brought with her.

" Ms. Black?" Slughorn said as he walked into the room. Seeing as there were very few students in the Great Hall, he had noticed her and Andromeda felt herself get nervous.

" Ms. Black, why are you sitting at the Hufflepuff table? You still are a Slytherin are you not?" he asked her.

Andromeda wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't know how much of the situation her head of House knew or how much she wanted to divulge to him.

She bit her lip nervously, " I'm not really welcome at the House table right now, Professor" she said quietly.

Slughorn furrowed his brows together as he looked at her. She knew what he was thinking. He was trying to figure out what he should tell her.

She knew if Ted were here, he would encourage her to tell him about what happened the night before, but Andromeda didn't want too. Getting Bellatrix and the Lestranges in trouble for it would only encourage retalliation from the other volitale Slytherins. Andromeda had a better idea.

" Well maybe I ought to speak to the house then" Slughorn suggested.

Andromeda shook her head, " It's fine, Professor. Don't worry about it" she told him.

The last thing she needed was Slughorn lecturing the entire house about how they were treating her. She could handle herself.

Slughorn offered her a small smile in an effort to comfort her and then made his way back to the high table.

As he walked away, Andromeda felt something course through her. She had a realization. This entire time she had let what the other Slytherins do to her, bother her. She had felt hurt and embarrassed by their cruelty because some small part of her still believed that they were doing the right thing, because thats how they were raised.

She decided she wasn't going to let it bother her. She was a Pureblood and she was in love with a Muggleborn. There was nothing wrong with it. She was a Bloodtraitor and she was proud of it. She couldn't wait to be blasted off of Aunt Walburga's precious tapestry.

She was going to embrace her new life. She wasn't going to let the Pureblood lifestyle she had grown up with shackle her any longer.

So as the Great Hall began to fill up, she took the sleeve of her sweater on her left arm and rolled it up, leaving the carved arm out and visible.

She was a mudlover, and she wasn't going to let anyone make it into a bad thing.

Ted and Alfie had walked into the Great Hall and taken their seats next to her. The entire hall was almost full at this point.

Ted looked at Andromeda's arm and raised an eyebrow at her, " I thought you didn't want anyone to see it?" he asked her.

Andromeda shrugged, " I also don't want them to win either" she told him.

Ted looked momentarily confused, but then flashed her a wide smile, " I think that's very brave"

Andromeda smiled as she bit into the pancake in front of her, " Maybe I should have been a Gryffindor"

Ted chuckled, " You as a Gryffindor? That's something I'd like to see"

Andromeda rolled her eyes at them and was distracted as the crowd of Owls flew into the room and into the Great Hall and dropped letters and parcels to their owners.

Andromeda was shocked when a letter fell in front of her. Ever since the incident, she hadn't recieved word from any of her family.

She recognized her uncle's handwriting on the front of the envelope and tore the letter open, reading it quickly.

Andromeda,

I hope you are well. As well as you can be considering. I'm hoping you are doing okay. You're far too strong to let anything any of those elitist Purebloods say get to you. As for my reason for writing this letter, I wanted to invite you to come and live with me at the end of your term. I can imagine that this may have been a source of concern for you, and I would be happy to have you.

It'll be entertaining to have another bloodtraitor Black under my roof. Let me know.

Hoping you're alright,

Uncle Alphard

" Everything okay?" Ted asked as she put the letter down on the table.

Andromeda nodded, " I'm moving in with my uncle"

A wide smile spread on Ted's face. He looked delighted at her words.

" That's good isn't it?" Ted asked, " Now you get to be with at least some of your family, right?"

Andromeda nodded and smiled. She was thrilled. Before today she had no idea what she was going to when she left Hogwarts for the summer. Going home had obviously not been an option anymore, so she had been left with no options. Her uncle had saved her from being practically homeless, or begging Professor Dumbledore to let her stay at Hogwarts.

" Yeah, it's a good thing" She told Ted.

She finished breakfast and listened to Alfie and Ted get into a small argument on the way to Transfiguration about which Quidditch team was in the lead this season.

The rest of her day was normal. Well normal, if she ignored the people who stared at her the cut words on her arm that she was now sporting. She did ignore them. She wore it like a badge of honor now.

Andromeda was proud of her choices, and she wasn't going to let anyone take that from her.

It was strange how quickly the rest of the years seemed to fade away. Andromeda couldn't help but think that as the year winded to the end, she had never had a happier last few weeks of school.

She had taken all of her exams, and suprisingly felt very good about them, despite having spent less time studying for them then she usually did, and she found herself enjoying the end of the year festivites more than she usually did. She was sure that it all had to do with her new choice of companions. Hestia, Alfie, and especially Ted made it so much easier for her to be happy. She never enjoyed school events this much when she was with the Slytherins.

Even the end of the year feast seemed more fun. She sat in between Alfie and Ted at the Hufflepuff table cheering on Gryffindor house who had won the House Cup. For the first time, she found herself blissfully happy.

Even as she walked to Hogsmeade station towards the Scarlett Express on the last day, something that she usually dreaded, she found herself at peace.

She walked with her hand entertwined with Ted's, and next to Hestia and Otto Bagman.

As they approached the train, Andromeda saw her sisters clustered around the front of the train with the rest of Andromeda's former friends.

They all cast her nasty glance's and Andromeda rolled her eyes. She knew that they would never change, and she didn't expect them too.

She turned back around and cast one last glance at the castle. It towered in front of her like a brillant symbol, and Andromeda was thankful for it. It was the place that had allowed her to find out what was truly important to her.

" It's quite a place, huh?" Ted said wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him.

Andromeda nodded, " It really is"

So much had changed for her this year and even though she knew she faced challenges with her new lifestyle, she had never been more happy with a decision she had made.

She turned so that she was facing Ted. His face was lit up with happiness and he looked so carefree.

Andromeda had never felt as much love for a person as she did when she looked at him.

" Like what you see, Dromeda?" he asked cheekily.

Andromeda laughed and wrapped her arm around his waist, " It seems, I do"

He grinned and kissed her forehead, " I love you, you know that?" he told her happily.

" I love you too, Ted" she told him.

" Guys, come on I want to get a good compartment" Hestia said. She was standing on the steps of the train with Otto and Alfie.

" Come on Black" Ted said pulling her onto the train with him.

It was in that moment, climbing the train with her boyfriend and new friends that Andromeda realized this was who she was suppossed to be. She was in love with a muggleborn. They were Andromeda and Ted. Not a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff, or a Pureblood and a Muggleborn.

Just two people who loved each other.

Andromeda didn't care what they called her anymore.

Bloodtraitor. Mudlover. It didn't matter. She had someone she loved.

And for her, that was all that was important.

She laced her hand with Ted's and climbed into the open compartment next to them, ready to start her life as the biggest Bloodtraitor in the history of The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black.


End file.
